RF Engineering

Basic Concepts

Fritz Caspers, Peter McIntosh, Tom Kroyer

CAS 2007, Daresbury

 Contents
‹ S parameters
‹ Signal flow graph
‹ Properties of the S matrix of an N-port
‹ Basic properties of striplines, microstrip- and slotlines
‹ Application of the Smith Chart

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 2

 S-parameters (1)
‹ The abbreviation S has been derived from the word scattering.
‹ For high frequencies, it is convenient to describe a given network
in terms of waves rather than voltages or currents. This permits an
easier definition of reference planes.
‹ For practical reasons, the description in terms of in- and outgoing
waves has been introduced.
‹ Now, a 4-pole network becomes a 2-port and a 2n-pole becomes
an n-port. In the case of an odd pole number (e.g. 3-pole), a
common reference point may be chosen, attributing one pole
equally to two ports. Then a 3-pole is converted into a (3+1) pole
corresponding to a 2-port.
‹ As a general conversion rule for an odd pole number one more
pole is added.

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 3

 S-parameters (2)

Fig. 1 2-port network

‹ Let us start by considering a simple 2-port network consisting of a single
impedance Z connected in series (Fig. 1). The generator and load impedances
are ZG and ZL, respectively. If Z = 0 and ZL = ZG (for real ZG) we have a matched
load, i.e. maximum available power goes into the load and U1 = U2 = U0/2.
‹ Please note that all the voltages and currents are peak values. The lines
connecting the different elements are supposed to have zero electrical length.
Connections with a finite electrical length are drawn as double lines or as heavy
lines. Now we need to relate U0, U1 and U2 with a and b.

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 4

 Definition of “ power waves”(1)
‹ The waves going towards the n-port are a = (a1, a2, ..., an), the waves
travelling away from the n-port are b = (b1, b2, ..., bn). By definition
currents going into the n-port are counted positively and currents flowing
out of the n-port negatively. The wave a1 is going into the n-port at port 1
is derived from the voltage wave going into a matched load.
‹ In order to make the definitions consistent with the conservation of
energy, the voltage is normalized to . Z0 is in general an arbitrary
reference impedance, but usually the characteristic impedance of a line
(e.g. Z0 = 50 Ω) is used and very often ZG = ZL = Z0. In the following we
assume Z0 to be real. The definitions of the waves a1 and b1 are
‹

(2.1)

‹ Note that a and b have the dimension [1].

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 5

 Definition of “power waves”(2)
‹ The power travelling towards port 1, P1inc, is simply the available power from the
source, while the power coming out of port 1, P1refl, is given by the reflected
voltage wave.

‹ (2.2)

‹ Please note the factor 2 in the denominator, which comes from the definition of
the voltages and currents as peak values (“European definition”). In the “US
definition” effective values are used and the factor 2 is not present, so for power
calculations it is important to check how the voltages are defined. For most
applications, this difference does not play a role since ratios of waves are used.
‹ In the case of a mismatched load ZL there will be some power reflected towards
the 2-port from ZL
‹ (2.3)

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 6

 Definition of “power waves”(3)
‹ There is also the outgoing wave of port 2 which may be considered as the
superimposition of a wave that has gone through the 2-port from the generator
and a reflected part from the mismatched load. We have defined with the
incident voltage wave Uinc. In analogy to that we can also quote with the incident
current wave Iinc. We obtain the general definition of the waves ai travelling into
and bi travelling out of an n-port:
‹ Solving these two equations, Ui and Ii can be obtained for a given ai and bi as

(2.4) (2.5)

‹ For a harmonic excitation u(t) = Re{U e jωt } the power going into port i is given by

(2.6)

‹ The term (ai*bi – aibi*) is a purely imaginary number and vanishes when the real
part is taken

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 7

 The S-Matrix (1)
‹ The relation between ai and bi (i = l...n) can be written as a system of n linear
equations (ai being the independent variable, bi the dependent variable)

(2.7) Or in matrix formulation (2.8)

‹ The physical meaning of S11 is the input reflection coefficient with the output of
the network terminated by a matched load (a2 = 0). S21 is the forward
transmission (from port 1 to port 2), S12 the reverse transmission (from port 2 to
port 1) and S22 the output reflection coefficient.
‹ When measuring the S parameter of an n-port, all n ports must be terminated by
a matched load (not necessarily equal value for all ports), including the port
connected to the generator (matched generator).
‹ Using Eqs. 2.4 and 2.7 we find the reflection coefficient of a single impedance ZL
connected to a generator of source impedance Z0 (Fig. 1, case ZG = Z0 and Z =
0)
(2.9)

‹ which is the familiar formula for the reflection coefficient ρ (often also denoted Γ).

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 8

 The S-Matrix (2)
‹ Let us now determine the S parameters of the impedance Z in Fig. 1, assuming
again ZG = ZL = Z0. From the definition of S11 we have

(2.10)

‹ and in a similar fashion we get

(2.11)

‹ Due to the symmetry of the element S22 = S22 and S12 = S21. Please note that for
this case we obtain S11 + S21 = 1. The full S matrix of the element is then

(2.12)

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 9

 The transfer matrix (T-matrix)
‹ The S matrix introduced in the previous section is a very convenient way
to describe an n-port in terms of waves. It is very well adapted to
measurements. However, it is not well suited to for characterizing the
response of a number of cascaded 2-ports. A very straightforward
manner for the problem is possible with the T matrix (transfer matrix),
which directly relates the waves on the input and on the output [2]

(2.10)

‹ The conversion formulae between S and T matrix are given in Appendix

I. While the S matrix exists for any 2-port, in certain cases, e.g. no
transmission between port 1 and port 2, the T matrix is not defined. The
T matrix TM of m cascaded 2-ports is given by (as in [2, 3]):
(2.11)

‹ Note that in the literature different definitions of the T matrix can be

found and the individual matrix elements depend on the definition used.

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 10

 The signal flow graph
‹ The SFG is a graphical representation of a system of linear
equations having the general form:
y = Mx + M’y
‹ M and M’ are square matrices with n rows and columns
‹ x represent the n independent variables (sources) and y the n
dependent variables.
‹ The elements of M and M’ appear as transmission coefficients
of the signal path.
‹ When there are no direct signal loops, this simplifies to
y = Mx, which is equivalent to the usual S parameter
definition
b = Sa

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 11

 Drawing the SFG
‹ The SFG can be drawn as a directed graph. Each wave ai
and bi is represented by a node, each arrow stands for an S
parameter
‹ Nodes with no arrows pointing towards them are source
noses. All other nodes are dependent signal nodes.
‹ Example: A 2-port with given Sij. At port 2 a not matched load
ρL is connected.
‹ Question: What is the input reflection coefficient S11 of this
circuit?

a1

ρL

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 12

 Simplifying the signal flow graph
‹ For general problems the SFG can be solved for applying
Mason’s rule (see Appendix of lecture notes). For not too
complicated circuits there is a more intuitive way by
simplifying the SFG according to three rules
1. Add the signal of parallel branches
2. Multiply the signals of cascaded branches
3. Resolve loops
x x
x y

y y

x+y xy x/(1-xy)

1. Parallel branches 2. Cascaded signal 3. Loops

paths

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 13

 Solving problems with the SFG
‹ The loop at port 2 involving S22 and ρL can be resolved. It
gives a branch from b2 to a2 with the coefficient ρL/(1-ρL*S22)
‹ Applying the cascading rule to the right path and finally the
parallel branch rule we get
b1 ρL
= S11 + S21 S12
a1 1 − S22 ρL
‹ More complicated problem are usually solved by computer
code using the matrix formulations mentioned before

a1

ρL

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 14

 Properties of the S matrix of an N-port
‹ A generalized n-port has n2 scattering coefficients. While the
Sij may be all independent, in general due to symmetries etc
the number of independent coefficients is much smaller.
‹ An n-port is reciprocal when Sij = Sji for all i and j. Most
passive components are reciprocal, active components such
as amplifiers are generally non-reciprocal.
‹ A two-port is symmetric, when it is reciprocal (S21 = S12) and
when the input and output reflection coefficients are equal
(S22 = S11).
‹ An N-port is passive and lossless if is S matrix is unitary, i.e.
S†S = 1, where x† = (x*)T is the conjugate transpose of x.

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 15

 Unitarity of an N-port
For a two-port the unitarity condition gives
⎛ S11 ⎞⎛ S11 S12 ⎞ ⎛ 1 0 ⎞
(S ) S 21
* *
* T
S = ⎜⎜ * ⎟⎜
* ⎟⎜
⎟ = ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟
⎟
⎝ S12 S 22 ⎠⎝ S 21 S 22 ⎠ ⎝ 0 1 ⎠

which yields the three conditions

2 2
S11 + S 21 = 1
2 2
S12 + S 22 =1
*
S11 S12 + S*21S22 = 0

From the last equation we get, writing out amplitude and phase
S11 S12 = S 21 S 22 and

− arg S11 + arg S12 = − arg S 21 + arg S 22 + π

and combining the equations for the modulus (amplitude)
S11 = S22 , S12 = S21
2
S11 = 1 − S12

Thus any lossless two-port can be characterized by one

amplitude and three phases.
CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 16
 General properties
‹ In general the S parameters are complex and frequency
dependent.
‹ Their phases change when the reference plane is moved.
Therefore it is important to clearly define the reference planes
used
‹ For a given structure, often the S parameters can be
determined from considering mechanical symmetries and, in
case of lossless networks, from energy conservation.

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 17

 Examples of S matrices: 1-ports
‹ Simple lumped elements are 1-ports, but also cavities with
one test port, long transmission lines or antennas can be
considered as 1-ports
‹ 1-ports are characterized by their reflection coefficient ρ, or in
terms of S parameters, by S11.
‹ Ideal short: S11 = -1
‹ Ideal termination: S11 = 0
‹ Active termination (reflection amplifier): ⏐S11⏐ > 1

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 18

 Examples of S matrices: 2-ports (1)
‹ Ideal transmission line of length l
⎛ 0 e −γl ⎞
S = ⎜⎜ −γl ⎟
⎝e 0 ⎟⎠

where γ = α + jβ is the complex propagation constant, α the

line attenuation in [Neper/m] and β = 2π/λ with the wavelength
λ. For a lossless line |S21| = 1.
‹ Ideal phase shifter
⎛ 0 e − jϕ12 ⎞
S = ⎜⎜ − jϕ ⎟
⎝e
21
0 ⎟⎠

For a reciprocal phase shifter ϕ12 = ϕ21, while for the gyrator
ϕ12 = ϕ21 + π. An ideal gyrator is lossless (S†S = 1), but it is not
reciprocal. Gyrators are often implemented using active
electronic components, however in the microwave range
passive gyrators can be realized using magnetically saturated
ferrite elements.

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 19

 Examples of S matrices: 2-ports (2)
‹ Ideal, reciprocal attenuator
⎛ 0 e −α ⎞
S = ⎜⎜ −α ⎟
⎝e 0 ⎟⎠

with the attenuation α in Neper. The attenuation in Decibel is

given by A = -20*log10(S21), 1 Np = 8.686 dB. An attenuator
can be realized e.g. with three resistors in a T circuit or with
resistive material in a waveguide.
‹ Ideal isolator
⎛ 0 0⎞
S = ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟
⎝ 1 0⎠

The isolator allows transmission in one directly only, it is used

e.g. to avoid reflections from a load back to the generator.
‹ Ideal amplifier ⎛ 0 0⎞
S = ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟
⎝G 0⎠
with the voltage gain G > 1. Please note the similarity
between an ideal amplifier and an ideal isolator!
CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 20
 Examples of S matrices: 3-ports (2)
‹ It can be shown that a 3-port cannot be lossless, reciprocal
and matched at all three ports at the same time. The following
components have two of the above characteristics.
‹ Resistive power divider: It consists of a resistor network and
is reciprocal, matched at all ports but lossy. It can be realized
with three resistors in a triangle configuration.
⎛ 0 1 1 ⎞
⎜ 2 2⎟
S=⎜1 0 1 ⎟
⎜ 2 2⎟
⎜1 1 0 ⎟
⎝ 2 2 ⎠
‹ The T splitter is reciprocal and lossless but not matched at all
ports. Using the losslessness condition and symmetry
considerations one finds for E and H plane splitters

⎛1 −1 2⎞ ⎛1 1 2⎞ E-plane splitter
1⎜ ⎟ 1⎜ ⎟
SH = ⎜ −1 1 2⎟ S E = ⎜1 1 − 2 ⎟
2⎜ ⎟ 2⎜ ⎟
⎜ 2 2 0 ⎟⎠ ⎜ 2 − 2 0 ⎟⎠ H-plane
⎝ ⎝
splitter
CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 21
 Circulators
‹ The ideal circulator is lossless, matched at all ports, but not
reciprocal. A signal entering the ideal circulator at one port is
transmitted exclusively to the next port in the sense of the
arrow
isolator

circulator

‹ Its S matrix has a very simple form:

⎛ 0 0 1⎞
⎜ ⎟
S = ⎜ 1 0 0⎟
⎜ 0 1 0⎟
⎝ ⎠
‹ When port 3 of the circulator is terminated with a matched
load we get a two-port called isolator, which lets power pass
only from port 1 to port 2

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 22

 Ferrites for circulators
‹ A circulator, like the gyrator and other passive non-reciprocal
elements contains a volume of ferrite. This ferrite is normally
magnetized into saturation by an external magnetic field.
‹ The magnetic properties of a saturated RF ferrite have to be
characterized by a μ-tensor. The real and imaginary part of each
complex element μ are μ’ and μ’’. They are strongly dependent on
the bias field.
‹ The μ+ and μ- represent the permeability seen by a right- and left-
hand circular polarized wave traversing the ferrite
real part of μ imag part of μ

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 23

 Practical Implementations of circulators
‹ The magnetically polarized ferrite provides the required
nonreciprocal properties. As a result, power is only
transmitted from port 1 to port 2, from port 2 to port 3 and from
port 3 to port 1.
‹ Circulators can be built with e.g. with waveguides (left) or with
striplines (right)

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 24

 The Faraday isolator
‹ The Faraday isolator is based on the Faraday rotation of a
polarized wave in the presence of a magnetically polarized
ferrite
‹ Running along the ferrite the TE10 wave coming from left is
rotated counterclockwise by 45 degrees. It can then enter
unhindered the waveguide on the right
‹ A wave coming from the right is rotated clockwise (as seen
from the right); the wave then has the wrong polarization. It
gets damped by the horizontal damping foil.

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 25

 The Magic T
‹ A combination of a E-plane and H-plane waveguide T is a very special 4-
port: A “magic” T. The coefficients of the S matrix can be found by using the
unitary condition and mechanical symmetries.

⎛0 0 1 1⎞
⎜ ⎟
1 ⎜0 0 1 − 1⎟
S=
2 ⎜1 1 0 0⎟
⎜ ⎟
⎜ 1 −1 0 0 ⎟⎠
⎝

‹ Ideally there is no transmission between port 3 and port 4 nor between port
1 and port 2, even though you can look straight through it!
‹ Magic Ts are often produced as coaxial lines and printed circuits. They can
be used taking the sum or difference of two signals. The bandwidth of a
waveguide magic ‘T’ is around one octave or the equivalent H10-mode
waveguide band. Broadband versions of 180° hybrids may have a
frequency range from a few MHz to some GHz.
CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 26
 The directional coupler (1)
Directional couplers with coupling holes in
‹ Another very important 4-port is the waveguide technology
directional coupler.
‹ General principle: We have two Bethe coupler λ/4 coupler
transmission lines, and a coupling
mechanism is adjusted such that part of
the power in line 1 is transferred to line
2. The coupler is directional when the
power in line 2 travels mainly in one
direction.
‹ In order to get directionality at least two
coupling mechanisms are necessary, i.e.
many holes or electric and magnetic
coupling, as in the Bethe coupler.
‹ The λ/4 coupler has two holes at a
distance λ/4. The two backwards multiple hole coupler
coupled waves cancel while the forward
coupled waves add up in phase

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 27

 The directional coupler (2)
‹ The directivity is defined as the ratio of the desired over the
undesired coupled wave. For a forward coupler, in decibel,
S31
α d = 20 log
S41

‹ Practical numbers for the coupling are 3 dB, 6 dB, 10 dB, and 20 dB
with directivities usually better than 20 dB
‹ The S matrix of the 3 dB coupler (π/2-hybrid) can be derived as
⎛0 1 ±j 0⎞
⎜ ⎟
1 ⎜1 0 0 ± j⎟
S3dB =
2 ⎜± j 0 0 1⎟
⎜ ⎟
⎝0 ± j 1 0⎠
‹ Please note that this element is lossless, reciprocal and matched at
all ports. This is possible for 4-ports.

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 28

 General N-ports
‹ A general N-ports may included ports in different technologies, i.e.
waveguides, coaxial lines, microstrip lines etc.
‹ In a given frequency range different modes may propagate at each physical
port, e.g. several waveguide modes in a rectangular waveguide or higher
order modes on a coaxial line.
‹ Each mode must then
be represented by a
distinct port.
‹ The number of ports
needed generally
increases with
frequency, as more
waveguide modes can
propagate. In numerical
simulations neglecting
higher order modes in
the model can lead to
questionable results.
CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 29
 Directional couplers in microstrip technology

‹ Most of the RF elements shown can be produced at low price in

printed circuit technology

Magic T

90° 3-dB coupler (rat-race 180°)

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 30

 Striplines (1)
‹ A stripline is a flat conductor between a top and bottom ground
plane. The space around this conductor is filled with a
homogeneous dielectric material. This line propagates a pure TEM
mode. With the static capacity per unit length, C’, the static
inductance per unit length, L’, the relative permittivity of the
dielectric, εr and the speed of light c the characteristic impedance Z0
of the line is given by

(5.1)

Fig 19: char.impedance of striplines

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 31

 Striplines (2)
‹ For a mathematical treatment, the effect of the fringing fields may be
described in terms of static capacities (see Fig. 20) [14]. The total
capacity is the sum of the principal and fringe capacities Cp and Cf.

(5.2)

Fig. 20: Design, dimensions and characteristics for offset center-conductor strip transmission line [14]
‹ For striplines with an homogeneous dielectric the phase velocity is the
same, and frequency independent, for all TEM-modes. A
configuration of two coupled striplines (3-conductor system) may have
two independent TEM-modes, an odd mode and an even mode (Fig.
21).

Fig. 21: Even and odd mode in coupled striplines [14]

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 32

 Striplines (3)
‹ The analysis of coupled striplines is required for the design of
directional couplers. Besides the phase velocity the odd and even
mode impedances Z0,odd and Z0,even must be known. They are given as
a good approximation for the side coupled structure (Fig. 22, left) [14].
They are valid as a good approximation for the structure shown in Fig.
22.

(5.3)

Fig. 22: Types of

coupled striplines [14]:
left: side coupled parallel
lines, right: broad-
coupled parallel lines

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 33

 Striplines (4)
‹ A graphical presentation of Equations 5.3 is also known as the Cohn
nomographs [14]. For a quarter-wave directional coupler (single
section in Fig. 16) very simple design formulae can be given

(5.4)

where C0 is the voltage coupling ratio of the λ/4 coupler.

‹ In contrast to the 2-hole waveguide coupler this type couples
backwards, i.e. the coupled wave leaves the coupler in the direction
opposite to the incoming wave. The stripline coupler technology is
rather widespread by now, and very cheap high quality elements are
available in a wide frequency range. An even simpler way to make
such devices is to use a section of shielded 2-wire cable.

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 34

 Microstrip (1)
‹ A microstripline may be visualized as a stripline with the top cover and
the top dielectric layer taken away (Fig. 23). It is thus an asymmetric
open structure, and only part of its cross section is filled with a
dielectric material. Since there is a transversely inhomogeneous
dielectric, only a quasi-TEM wave exists. This has several
implications such as a frequency-dependent characteristic impedance
and a considerable dispersion (Fig. 24).

Fig.23 Microstripline: left: Mechanical construction, right: static field approximation [16].
CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 35
 Microstrip (2)
‹ An exact field analysis for this line is rather complicated and there
exist a considerable number of books and other publications on the
subject [16, 17]. Due to the dispersion of the microstrip, the
calculation of coupled lines and thus the design of couplers and
related structures is also more complicated than in the case of the
stripline. Microstrips tend to radiate at all kind of discontinuities such
as bends, changes in width, through holes etc.
‹ With all the disadvantages mentioned above in mind, one may
question why they are used at all. The mains reasons are the cheap
production, once a conductor pattern has been defined, and easy
access to the surface for the integration of active elements. Microstrip
circuits are also known as Microwave Integrated Circuits (MICs). A
further technological step is the MMIC (Monolithic Microwave
Integrated Circuit) where active and passive elements are integrated
on the same semiconductor substrate.
‹ In Figs. 25 and 26 various planar printed transmission lines are
depicted. The microstrip with overlay is relevant for MMICs and the
strip dielectric wave guide is a ‘printed optical fibre’ for millimeter-
waves and integrated optics [17].

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 36

 Microstrip (3)
ε

Fig. 24: Characteristic impedance (current/power definition) and effective permittivity of a microstrip line [16]

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 37

 Microstrip (4)

Fig. 25 (left): Planar transmission lines used in MICs; Fig 26 (right): various Transmission lines derived from microstrip

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 38

 Slotlines (1)
‹ The slotline may be considered as the dual structure of the microstrip. It is essentially a
slot in the metallization of a dielectric substrate as shown in Fig. 27. The characteristic
impedance and the effective dielectric constant exhibit similar dispersion properties to
those of the microstrip line. A unique feature of the slotline is that it may be combined with
microstrip lines on the same substrate. This, in conjunction with through holes, permits
interesting topologies such as pulse inverters in sampling heads (e.g. for sampling
scopes).

Fig 27 part 1: Slotlines a) Mechanical construction, b) Field pattern (TE-approximation)

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 39

 Slotlines (2)

Fig 27 part 2: c) Longitudinal and transverse current densities, d) Magnetic line current
model. Reproduced from [16] with permission of the author.

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 40

 Slotlines (3)
‹ Fig. 28 shows a broadband (decade bandwidth) pulse inverter.
Assuming the upper microstrip to be the input, the signal leaving the
circuit on the lower microstrip is inverted since this microstrip ends on
the opposite side of the slotline compared to the input. Printed slotlines
are also used for broadband pickups in the GHz range, e.g. for
stochastic cooling [15].

Fig 28. Two microstrip-slotline transitions connected back to back for 180° phase change [17]

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 41

 The Smith Chart - definition
‹ The Smith Chart is a very handy tool for visualizing and solving
RF problems
‹ It indicates in the plane of the complex reflection coefficient ρ the
corresponding value of the complex impedance Z = R + jX. Often
the normalized impedance z is used, with z = Z/Z0, where Z0 is a
an arbitrary characteristic impedance, e.g. Z0 = 50 Ω. The
reflection coefficient is given as
Z − Z0 z −1
ρ= =
Z + Z0 z +1 (6.1)

or in terms of admittance Y = 1/Z = G + jB, with the normalized

admittance y = Y/Y0, where Y0 = 1/Z0
Y − Y0 y −1
ρ =− =− (6.2)
Y + Y0 y +1
Equations 6.1 and 6.2 define conformal mappings from the z and
the y plane to the ρ plane.

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 42

 The Smith Chart - construction
‹ A very basic use of the Smith Chart is to graphically convert values of ρ into
z and vice versa. To this purpose in the ρ plane a grid is drawn that allows
to find the value of z at a given point ρ.
‹ An important property of conformal mappings is that general circles are
mapped to general circles. Straight lines are considered as circle with
infinite radius
‹ Below the loci of constant resistance and constant reactance are drawn in
the ρ plane
ρ plane
‹ The origin of the ρ
plane is marked with
a red dot, the
diameter of the
largest circle is |ρ|=1

constant resistance circles constant reactance circles

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 43
 The Smith Chart 0.1
0. 11
0. 39
0.12
0.38
0.13
0.37
0. 14
0. 36 0.15
circumference
0.0
9 0.4 100
90
80 0.35 0.1
6 |ρ| = 1

45
50
1 110 40 70 0.3

1.0
0.4 4

0.9

1. 2
0. 1

55
8

0. 8
0. 0 35
7

1.4
2 0. 3

0.7
0. 4 0 60 3
12

0.6 60
)
/ Yo

1.6
0. 1
0. 0
7
E ( +jB 30 8
NC

The Smith Chart is simply the ρ

3 0. 3
TA

1.8
0. 4 EP 0. 2 2

65
0 SC 50

‹
13 SU

2. 0
VE

0. 5
06

0.
TI 25

19
CI

0.
44

0.
PA

31
0.
CA

70
R
,O 0.4

plane with overlaid circles that o)

40
14
5
4

0. 2
0.

0. 0

Z
5

/
20

0. 3
0. 4

jX
(+
3. 0

T
75

EN
0.6

N
PO
help to find the z for each point.

0.2
0.0

0
6
0. 3

0.2
M

1
30
15
0.4

9
EC
>
0.8 15

RÐ

80
4.0

NC
The radius in is general ρ = 1. matched load

TO

TA
1. 0

0.22
AC
ERA

0.47

0.28
5.0

RE

1. 0
GEN

0
0.2

20
85

IV E
6
ρ=0

1
10

UCT
ARD
8
0.

0. 23
IN D
0. 48

0. 27
S TOW

ANG
90
0. 6

ANG
‹ Important points:

L E OF
N GTH
10

L E OF
0
0. 1

17
0.4

T R A N SM

0.24
0.0 Ð > W A V E L E

0.49

0.26
R E F
20

L E C T I O N C O E FFI C I E N
0. 2

„ Center of the Smith Chart: matched

I SSI O N C O E F F I C I E N T I N
50

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

10

20

50

0.25

0.25
± 180
0.0
load. ρ = 0, z = 1 R E SIST A N C E C OM PON E N T (R / Z o), OR C ON D U C T A N C E C OM PON E N T (G / Y o)
50

D <Ð
0. 2
20

R D L OA

0.24
T
0.49

0.26
Open circuit: ρ = +1, z = ∞

I N
-170
0.4

D
0. 1

DEGR

E
A

GREE
10

O W
HS T

EES
0. 6

-90

S
0. 23
)
0. 48

0. 27
/ Yo
Short circuit: ρ = -1, z = 0

G T

jB
8
0.

N
„

E (-
-10

ELE
0
-85

-20
-16

C
0.2

AN

1. 0

0.22
5.0

WA
0.47

0.28
short, ρ = -1 open, ρ = +1

T
EP
1. 0

SC
<

SU
-15 -80
4.0
0.8 -15

VE
4

0.2
0

TI

-30
0.0
0. 3

C
6

0.2
1
0.4

DU

9
IN
0.6

-75

R
3. 0

O
‹ Lossless elements lie on the

,
o)
5

0. 2
-20

0. 0

Z
X/
5

0. 3
4

0. 4
0.

40
( -j

-4
-1

0
T 0.4
EN

-70
N
PO

06

0.
circle |ρ|=1; active elements,

19
0.
OM -25

44

0.
EC

-65 . 5

31
0.

2. 0
0
30 NC -5
-1 TA C
0
7 EA 0. 2 0. 1

1.8
0. 0 R
IV E
8

0.6
0. 3
0. 4
3 IT -30
PA C 2

such as reflection amplifiers, lie

1.6
CA

-60
0 -60 0. 1
-12

0.7
8
0. 0 7

1.4
-35 0. 3

0. 8
2
0. 4 3

1. 2
-55

0.9

1.0
9 -70 0.1
0.0 -110 -4
0 6

0
-5

5
outside this circle.
0.3

-4
1
0.4 0.1 -100 -80 0.15 4
-90
0. 11 0. 14 0.35
0.4 0.12 0.13
0. 39 0. 36
0.38 0.37

O (C dB O ]
F
. C K SS [ SS C [ d B
R A D IA L L Y SC A L E D PA R A M E T E R S

EF
.
N . P . L . L TEN

P)
T OW A R D L OA D Ð > <Ð T OW A R D G E N E R A T OR
SW d S [ d E F F , E o
RT

EF O ]
P T.
W L W T
SM E A O O
¥ 100 40 20 10 5 4 3 2.5 2 1.8 1.6 1.4 1.2 1.1 1 15 10 7 5 4 3 2 1

F, N S
N

R BS B] , P r I

S. R F S. A
. L L . OE
RF L. C
O C O FF
RF

¥ 40 30 20 15 10 8 6 5 4 3 2 1 1 1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.6 1.8 2 3 4 5 10 20 ¥

S

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 14 20 30 ¥ 0 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.5 2 3 4 5 6 10 15 ¥

I
or
E
1 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.05 0.01 0 0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 2 2.5 3 4 5 10 ¥

F,
EF
A

O
TR
1 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 1 0.99 0.95 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0

.C
SM
CEN TER

N
A
TR
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 2

OR IG IN

Downloaded from http://www.sss-mag.com/smith.html

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 44

 Navigation in the Smith Chart 1
‹ When a lossless element is added in series to an impedance z, one
moves along the constant resistance circles (R = const)
‹ When a lossless element is added in parallel (shunt) to an
impedance z, one moves along the circles conductance (G = const)

Series L
Shunt L z Up Down

Shunt C Black Series L Series C

Series C circles
Blue Shunt L Shunt C
circles

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 45

 Navigation in the Smith Chart 2
‹ An ideal lossless transmission line only changes the phase of ρ => a
transmission line gives a rotation about the center of the Smith Chart
‹ For a line of length λ/4 we get a rotation by 180 degrees => a short
circuit is converted into an open circuit and vice versa. Such a line is
called λ/4 transformer.

G R

Toward load z Toward generator Red Resistance R in

arcs series

Blue Conductance G
arcs in parallel

Con- Transmission
centric line going
circle Toward load
Toward
generator

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 46

 The quality factor
‹ The quality (Q) factor of a resonant circuit is defined as the ratio of
the stored energy W over the energy dissipated P in one cycle.
ωW
Q=
P

‹ Q0: Unloaded Q factor of the unperturbed system, e.g. a closed

cavity
‹ QL: Loaded Q factor with measurement circuits etc connected
‹ Qext: External Q factor of the measurement circuits etc
‹ These Q factors are related by
1 1 1
= +
Q L Q0 Q ext
‹ The Q factor of a resonance peak or dip can be calculated from the
center frequency f0 and the 3 dB bandwidth Δf as
f0
Q=
Δf

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 47

 Q factor measurement in the Smith Chart
‹ The typical locus of a resonant
circuit in the Smith chart is
illustrated as the dashed red circle
‹ From the different marked
frequency points the 3 dB
bandwidth and thus the quality
factors Q0, QL and Qext can be
determined (see lecture notes)
‹ The larger the circle, the stronger
the coupling
‹ In practise, the circle may be
rotated around the origin due to
transmission lines between the
resonant circuit and the
measurement device

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 48

 Q factor measurement in the Smith Chart 2
‹f0gives the center frequency of the resonator. Condition: |S11| → min. Procedure in Smith Chart:
‹Resonator in “detuned short” position

‹Marker format: S11 (amplitude and phase)

‹Search for the minimum of |S11|

‹Read f0 and the resonator shunt impedance R = Re{S11}

‹The unloaded Q0 can be determined from f5 and f6. Condition: Re{Z} = Im{Z} in detuned short
position.
‹Resonator in “detuned short” position

‹Marker format: Z

‹Search for the two points where Re{Z} = Im{Z} ⇒ f5 and f6

‹The loaded QL can be calculated from the “half-power” points f1 and f2. Condition: |Im{S11}| →
max
‹Resonator in “detuned short” position

‹Marker format: Re{S11} + jIm{S11}

‹Search for the two points where |Im{S11}| → max ⇒ f1 and f2

‹The external QE can be calculated from f3 and f4. Condition: Z = ±j in detuned open position

‹Resonator in “detuned open” position

‹Marker format: Z

‹Search for the two points where Z = ±j ⇒ f3 and f4

CAS, Daresbury, September 2007 RF Basic Concepts, Caspers, McIntosh, Kroyer 49