Enhanced Microwave Heating Uniformity using Reconfigurable Fresnel Zone Plate

Abstract

Microwave heating is adapted in diverse industrial applications, but achieving heating uniformity remains elusive. Conventional microwave heating methods are problematic in terms of accurate analysis and the design process is heavily dependent on trial and errors. In this paper, we propose a method of beam steering using a 2.45 GHz reconfigurable Fresnel zone plate antenna. The devised topology is placed inside a chamber with an absorber. Studies indicate that the uniformity of the electric field increases by more than three times, underlining the fact that microwave heating uniformity can be significantly enhanced using the proposed method.