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RF Fundamentals, Part I

This document discusses fundamental concepts of RF engineering including plane waves, impedance, transmission lines, and skin effect. It defines key parameters such as frequency, wavelength, phase velocity, impedance. It also examines different types of transmission lines including parallel plate, coaxial, stripline, and microstrip. Distributed effects and characteristic impedance of transmission lines are covered.

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Vishal Iyer
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106 views19 pages

RF Fundamentals, Part I

This document discusses fundamental concepts of RF engineering including plane waves, impedance, transmission lines, and skin effect. It defines key parameters such as frequency, wavelength, phase velocity, impedance. It also examines different types of transmission lines including parallel plate, coaxial, stripline, and microstrip. Distributed effects and characteristic impedance of transmission lines are covered.

Uploaded by

Vishal Iyer
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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EERF6396

RF Fundamentals
Part I

Figures from: RF Circuit Design, 2nd Ed, by Ludwig and Bogdanov


(Textbook figures used with permission)

Prof. R. Lehmann
University of Texas at Dallas
• Plane wave in free space
• Sinusoidal form:
• 𝐸𝐸𝑥𝑥 = 𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸 cos ω𝑡𝑡 − β𝑧𝑧 (V/m) (polarized in x-direction)
• 𝐻𝐻𝑦𝑦 = 𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻 cos ω𝑡𝑡 − β𝑧𝑧 (A/m) (polarized in y-direction)
• Phasor form:
• 𝐸𝐸𝑥𝑥 = 𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅{𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸 𝑒𝑒 −𝑗𝑗β𝑧𝑧 𝑒𝑒 𝑗𝑗ω𝑡𝑡 } (V/m)
• 𝐻𝐻𝑦𝑦 = 𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅{𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻 𝑒𝑒 −𝑗𝑗β𝑧𝑧 𝑒𝑒 𝑗𝑗ω𝑡𝑡 } (A/m)
• Transverse Electromagnetic mode (TEM)
• 𝐸𝐸𝑥𝑥 ⊥ 𝐻𝐻𝑦𝑦 ⊥ Direction of propagation
• Plane wave parameters:
• ω = 2πf = radian frequency (in radians per second)
• f = frequency in Hz (cycles per second)
𝑐𝑐
• 𝑓𝑓 = (for free space)
𝜆𝜆
• 1 radian = 57.3o
• β = 2π/λ = phase propagation constant
• λ = wavelength
• Total propagation constant, gamma: γ = α + j β
Plane waves in far field
• α = attenuation constant
• 𝑒𝑒 −𝑗𝑗γ𝑧𝑧 = 𝑒𝑒 −𝑗𝑗β𝑧𝑧 when α = 0

Dipole
Antenna
• Impedance
• Impedance = Force that “impedes” flow
• Intrinsic impedance relates electric and magnetic field components (from
Maxwell’s Equations):
𝐸𝐸𝑥𝑥 µ 𝜇𝜇𝑜𝑜 𝜇𝜇𝑟𝑟
• 𝑍𝑍𝑜𝑜 = = =
𝐻𝐻𝑦𝑦 𝜖𝜖 𝜖𝜖𝑜𝑜 𝜖𝜖𝑟𝑟
• Mu = μ = Permeability; 𝜇𝜇𝑜𝑜 = 1.256 x 10−6 H/m
• 𝜇𝜇𝑟𝑟 = Relative permeability
• Epsilon = 𝜖𝜖 = Permittivity; 𝜖𝜖𝑜𝑜 = 8.854 x 10−12 F/m
• 𝜖𝜖𝑟𝑟 = Relative permittivity or Relative dielectric constant
• Free space impedance
𝐸𝐸𝑥𝑥 𝜇𝜇𝑜𝑜
• 𝑍𝑍𝑜𝑜 = 𝑍𝑍𝑓𝑓 = = = 377 Ω
𝐻𝐻𝑦𝑦 𝜖𝜖𝑜𝑜
• Impedance for different dielectric media:
𝜇𝜇𝑜𝑜 𝜇𝜇𝑟𝑟 𝜇𝜇𝑟𝑟
𝑍𝑍𝑜𝑜 = = 377
𝜖𝜖𝑜𝑜 𝜖𝜖𝑟𝑟 𝜖𝜖𝑟𝑟
• For different materials:

Material Relative Dielectric Constant, 𝝐𝝐𝒓𝒓


Duroid substrate 2.2
FR-4 substrate 4.6
Silicon 11.7
Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) 12.7

• Phase velocity
𝜔𝜔 1
• 𝑣𝑣𝑝𝑝 = =
𝛽𝛽 𝜇𝜇𝜇𝜇
1
• Free space: 𝑣𝑣𝑝𝑝 = = c = 3.0 x 108 m/s
𝜇𝜇𝑜𝑜 𝜖𝜖𝑜𝑜
Transmission Lines
Parallel Plate Transmission Line
Coaxial Transmission Line
(“Coax cable”)
Transmission Line Parameters
Stripline Transmission Line
Stripline Characteristics
• E and H fields are almost completely enclosed in the stripline
structure.
• Good for “production” components
• Not as good for prototyping where tuning is required
• Guide wavelength is dependent on the relative dielectric constant
𝜆𝜆𝑜𝑜
• 𝜆𝜆𝑔𝑔 =
𝜖𝜖𝑟𝑟
Microstrip Transmission Line

Microstrip “guide” wavelength is dependent on the effective dielectric constant


𝜆𝜆𝑜𝑜
𝜆𝜆𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 =
𝜖𝜖𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒
Microstrip E and H Field Patterns
Distributed nature of an RF Transmission Line
Microstrip Zo vs. w/h ratio
Effective Dielectric Constant vs. w/h
• Skin Effect
• At RF frequencies even straight wires or etch runs on PCBs demonstrate
frequency dependent resistance and inductance.
• For a cylindrical cross-section conductor:
𝑙𝑙
• 𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷 𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅 = 𝑅𝑅𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷 = 2
𝜋𝜋𝑎𝑎 𝜎𝜎𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐
where: 𝑙𝑙 = 𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐
𝑎𝑎 = 𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟 𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐
𝜎𝜎 = 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 = 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 (𝑆𝑆/𝑚𝑚) (S = 1/Ω)

Metal Conductivity, σ (S/m)


Aluminum 40.0 x 106
Copper 64.5 x 106
Gold 48.5 x 106

• At RF, the alternating charge carrier flow establishes a magnetic field that
induces an electric field (according to Faraday’s Law) whose associated
current density opposes the initial current flow. As a result RF current is
“pushed” to the outer perimeter (or edges) of the conductor.
• Skin Depth, δ
• Skin depth is a term used to describe the spatial drop-off in resistance and
reactance as a function of frequency, permeability & conductivity.
1
• 𝛿𝛿 = (units of meters)
𝜋𝜋𝜋𝜋𝜋𝜋𝜎𝜎𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐

• Note: δ is large for low frequency


δ is small for high frequency

• Example:
• f = 10GHz, μr = 1.0, σAU = 48.544 x 106 S/m
1
• 𝛿𝛿 = = 7.22x10-7 m ≈ 0.7 μm
𝜋𝜋(10𝑥𝑥109 )(1.256𝑥𝑥10−6 )(48.544𝑥𝑥106)
• Rule of Thumb #1
• For low-loss RF operation we need a minimum of 3 skin depths of metal.
• 𝑡𝑡 ≥ 3𝛿𝛿
• For the example of gold at 10GHz:
• 𝑡𝑡 ≥ 2.1 𝜇𝜇𝜇𝜇

εr

Microstrip Transmission Line

• AC Resistance of a wire:
𝑎𝑎
• 𝑅𝑅𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴 = 𝑅𝑅𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷
2𝛿𝛿
• where a = radius of the wire
• δ is the skin depth at the operating frequency

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