Student-led tutorials 5EPB0 ‘EM II’

SLT-C

May 16th 2023

If you have inspiration for an EM-related topic that could be used for an SLT such as, for
instance, a question about the latest aerospace engineering communication protocol, please do
not hesitate to contact us. We cannot promise anything, but we will look into the possibilities
to create a question around your favorite topic.

Philosophy
1. (a) For a transmission line model, when the switch is closed, the wave will have an
voltage amplitude equal to the voltage divider of the generator impedance Zg and
the line impedance Zline , so Vs · Zline /(Zg + Zline ). Why is this amplitude not de-
pendent on the impedance of the rest of the transmission line?

(b) We considered complex reflection and transmission components in the past student-
led tutorials. These complex line terminations result in complex compensation volt-
age and currents traveling the lines. What does the imaginary part of such signals
represent? Losses, signal deformation, black magic, something else?

(c) While looking for the spot with the best reception, you carry a sensor around your
student dorm and note the voltage and current amplitudes of the waves at different
locations. Close to one of the walls, you notice that the voltage amplitude is only
a fraction of what you would expect. Why is that the case?

(d) In the first SLT, you were asked to calculate the phase velocity and impedances of
a layered media. What is the reflection coefficient going from layer 1 (40π Ω) to
layer 2 (90π Ω)? And the resulting transmission coefficient? What does it mean
when the transmission coefficient is larger than 1?

S-Parameters
In the theory of week 3 we discussed linear two-port networks. These networks could,
for instance, characterize a transmission line. The characterization of these two-port

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 networks can be done using, for instance, a transfer matrix or a scatter matrix. A
scattering matrix (S-matrix) relates the outgoing waves to the incoming waves that are
incident on a two-port.

i1 i2
V1+ + Two-port +
V2+
v1 network v2
− −
V1− S V2−
Figure 1: Two port network representation as incoming and outgoing waves

In the two-port network of the figure 1 the incoming waves are noted as V1+ and V1− and
the outgoing waves as V2+ and V2− . The scattering matrix is given as:
[ ]
S11 S12
S=
S21 S22

The matrix elements are referred to as scattering parameters or S-parameters. They

are very important in our field and often used. The parameters S11 and S22 have
the meaning of reflection coefficients and the parameters S12 and S21 the meaning of
transmission coefficients.

2. (a) Write down the S-Matrix as function of incoming and outgoing waves.
(b) What is the S11 for an ideal short, ideal termination and that of an reflection
amplifier?
(c) What is the S-Matrix for an ideal line of length ℓ?
(d) What is the S-Matrix for an ideal reciprocal attenuator?
(e) In Fig. 2, you can see the S11 for an antenna designed by one of the tutors. At
which frequencies is this antenna most suitable do you think?

Transfer Matrix
In the previous exercise we have talked about the S-Parameter, in this exercise we will
focus on the transfer matrix The transfer matrix relates the voltage and current at one
port to those at the other port. For instance to bring the voltage and current of one side
of a dielectric slab to the other side.

3. (a) Write the transfer matrix as function of incoming and outgoing waves.

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 Figure 2: Antenna S11

(b) For the circuit below (Fig. 3), find the transfer matrix

Port 1 Port 2

Z0 2Z0 Z0

z=0 z=0

z
Figure 3: Setup for problem 5

(c) For a cascade of two of these 2-ports, as shown in Fig. Fig. 4. Determine the
overall transfer matrix?

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 Port 1 Port 2

Z0 2Z0 2Z0 Z0

z=0 z=0

Figure 4: Setup for problem 5, Cascaded

The parallel transmission line

4. Consider the setup shown in Figure 5. It shows a DC voltage source with internal
impedance ZS that is connected via a switch to a transmission line with impedance Z0 .
At (x, y, z) = (0, 0, ℓ) the transmission line is connected to two other transmission lines
(in parallel), each having a characteristic impedance Z1 . One of the transmission lines
is terminated with a short circuit (S.C) while the other transmission line is terminated
with an open circuit (O.C). The switch is open and the system is in steady state. The
following parameters and values are known at this initial state:

VS = 12 V Z0 = 60Ω
Zs = 60Ω Z1 = 120Ω
ℓ = 150m c = 3.108 m/s

(a) Calculate the voltage and current at z = 0 for t = 0 (just after closing the switch).
(b) Draw the bounce diagram of the compensating voltage for the time 0 ≤ t ≤ 2.5µs
for the transmission lines with characteristic impedance Z1 that are orientated along
the x-axis. For this, don’t forget to also calculate the reflection and transmission
coefficients at z = ℓ. You may use the diagram in Figure 6 for your drawing.

5. In this question, we assume the same transmission line as in the last question. You can
reuse all intermediate results and calculations from last question if necessary.
(a) Make a plot showing the voltage at x = 50m and x = −50m for 0 ≤ t ≤ 2.5µs

(b) What is the steady-state voltage and current for t → ∞ at x = 50m and for x = 0m,
respectively? Explain your answer.

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 Figure 5: Setup for question 4 and 5

(c) If we remove the short circuit (replace by open circuit) at x = ℓ, it is possible to

simplify the whole circuit. Draw the simplified circuit (try to simplify as much as
possible).

Power Splitter
6. With the increase in frequencies for 5G and 6G onwards, we need more antennas to
cover the propagation losses. In Fig. 7, on the left a 5G basestation antenna can be
seen. Each of the squares represent an antenna. However, we don’t want to have 100+
cables running towards the back. Therefor we make use of power splitters! As an
example, we can take the power splitter in Fig. 7. Although this is of course not realistic
for what we use on a PCB, it is a clear picture.

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 Figure 6: Bounce diagram for Question 4

(a) 5G Antenna Array (b) Power Splitter

Figure 7: 5G Antenna Array (left) and Keysight Power Splitter (right)

(a) What is the S-Matrix of an ideal power divider?

(b) What happens when you disconnect one of the cables, how will the S-matrix change?
Hint: Think in transmission lines to determine the effect.
(c) What would be the correct approach to disconnect a cable and keep the second port

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 operational?

References
[1] https://cdn1-www.playstationlifestyle.net/assets/uploads/2010/11/feature-Portal-
Cake.jpg.

[2] https://www.keysight.com/us/en/product/11667B/power-splitter-dc-26-5-ghz.html

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