Patent ID: 7132909

Claim:
A microwave component for operating within a predetermined performance tolerance comprising: a waveguide channel; and, a plurality of geometrically-shaped elements producing a field response and having known dimensions within a tolerance, the tolerance defining a random variation from each of the known dimensions and positioned within the channel in spaced relationship one to another, at least a first element of the plurality of geometrically-shaped elements having a first shape; at least a second element of the plurality of geometrically-shaped elements having a second other shape; wherein the number, dimensions and spacing of said elements determine performance characteristics of the microwave waveguide, characterized in that if the random variation from each of the known dimensions is a fixed same maximum variation having a fixed same polarity for each of the plurality of geometrically-shaped elements, the performance characteristics of the microwave waveguide is a first performance characteristic and if the random variation from each of the known dimensions is a fixed same maximum variation having a fixed other polarity for each of the plurality of shaped elements, the performance characteristics of the microwave waveguide is a second performance characteristic, and wherein the difference between the first and the second performance characteristics defines a first performance tolerance, the random variation from each of the known dimensions resulting in performance characteristics of the microwave waveguide having an actual performance tolerance, the actual performance tolerance statistically more likely to fall within a range substantially smaller than the first performance tolerance and within the predetermined performance tolerance.