APPLICATION NOTE

ANV001

CIRCULATOR

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ANV001 CIRCULATOR
A Circulator is defined as a non-reciprocal, passive three ports, ferromagnetic device in which power is
transferred from one port to the next adjacent port in a prescribed order.

Circulators are non-reciprocal devices, meaning their behavior in one direction is very different from that in
the other direction.

Working Principle:
A Circulator utilizes a transversely magnetized ferrite junction to circulate incoming microwave energy from
port 1 to port 2, port 2 to port 3, and port 3 to port 1. The arrows represent the direction of the magnetic fields
and the signal when applied to any port of these devices. An RF signal experiences a low loss in the direction
of arrow and high loss in reverse direction while propagating through the Circulator (see Figure1).

For example, a signal is placed at port 1 and port 2 is well matched, the signal will exit at port 2 with very
little loss (typically 0.4 dB). If there is a mismatch at port 2, then some signal power will be reflected towards
port 3.

Figure 1: Circulator Working Principle

To have a better idea how the applied magnetic field controls the RF signal flow in Circulator, consider a
glass filled with water. Now, stir water in a clockwise direction using a spoon. If we put small thermacol balls
in water and continue to stir, it is observed that thermacol balls easily follow the circular motion of the water.
Also it would be impossible for the thermacol balls to move in a counterclockwise (opposite) direction
because the water motion is too strong.

The ferrite discs and permanent magnets inside the Circulator create very strong rotary magnetic fields similar
to the water motion in glass. This leads to follow the magnetic flow by any RF/microwave signals in the
desired frequency band from one port towards the next adjacent port and not in the opposite direction.

Construction:
Typical junction Circulator consists of a Y- junction stripline circuit sandwiched between two ferrite discs, an
upper and lower magnetically biased permanent magnets and ground planes. The ferrite materials, magnets
are selected according to the frequency of operation, input power ratings and intended application. In a
Circulator, the magnetic field is applied through the vertical axis of this assembly, results into a circulation of
the RF energy from one port to the adjacent port, depending on from which port the energy is coming from.

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ANV001 CIRCULATOR

Figure 2: Circulator Construction Elements

As shown in the Figure 2, two relatively large planes of ferrite material are arranged either in thin triangular,
circular or hexagonal shapes. A Y-shaped conductor called as ‘inner conductor’ having three arms is
interposed between these ferrite plates. This conductor junction connects to port connectors. Outside the
ferrite discs flat permanent magnets are arranged with mild steel ground planes and pole pieces. This
arrangement allows concentrating magnetic flux through the assembly, magnetically biasing the ferrite discs.
This whole arrangement is then enclosed in plated steel casing which provides a high immunity to outside
magnetic influences and protection from any mechanical damages.

Performance Parameters:
An important consideration when selecting a Circulator is to ensure the device has adequate performance
specifications for the given application. Insertion loss, VSWR & Isolation are the basic and most important
performance parameters for Circulators. These parameters have a direct trade off with bandwidth; with
increase in the operating bandwidth there is degradation in their values.

Isolation:
A measure of the separation of signal levels on adjacent ports of a Circulator is called as Isolation. It is
measured in dB .The greater the isolation value, the lesser will be the interference from a signal on one port
relative to an adjacent port.

This isolation is due to a matched termination attached to one of the three ports of the Circulator. The isolation
of a Circulator is mainly dependent on following two parameters:

- Termination match level

- VSWR of terminated port

In case of the poor match on terminated port, expected isolation is below 10 dB. When terminated port match
is improved to VSWR of 1.10:1 by using a good termination, then the isolation would improve to over 20 dB.
For the same quality of termination and VSWR values (1.05:1 or better) comparatively better isolation
(around 25 dB) can be achieved for narrowband units than that for broadband units (around 15-20 dB). In
some applications greater isolation is required (30 to 40 dB). In such situations a dual junction Circulator is
used, by the combination two Circulators (see Figure 5).

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ANV001 CIRCULATOR
The VSWR value on terminated Circulator port represents the absolute maximum amount of energy that will
reflect off from the port when a 50Ω load is connected on it. In order to dissipate this reflected energy safely,
Circulator isolation values must be equal to or higher than VSWR values for a given bandwidth.

Insertion Loss (I.L.):

Transmission path insertion loss is another important parameter when selecting a Circulator. The total amount
of energy lost while transmitting the RF signal from one port to another port of the Circulator is called as
Insertion Loss.

As stated above, Circulator is a passive RF component, so a signal traveling through it will undergo some
attenuation. Insertion loss is the ratio of the output signal to the input signal & it is measured in decibels (dB).

[dB]

The insertion loss is frequency dependent, it increases with operating frequency. Hence, insertion loss of a
Circulator becomes more significant at higher frequencies due to more power being dissipated as a heat.
Typical values of Circulator insertion loss are of the order 0.2 to 0.4 dB.

For the same quality of load terminations and VSWR values narrowband Circulators comparatively have less
insertion loss (around 0.3 dB) than that for broadband Circulators (up to 1.5 dB).

VSWR:
VSWR stands for voltage standing wave ratio. The ratio of the reflected power to the incident power of
standing waves created due to impedance mismatch between RF source and load.

These standing waves are unwanted as the transmitted energy gets reflected and travels back to the source. It
may damage the RF signal source.

Figure 3: Circulator VSWR

The reflective property of each Circulator port is characterized by the reflection coefficient magnitude | |.

| | √

Where
Pref : reflected power [W]
Pin : incident power [W]
V- : reflected wave [V]
V+ : incident wave. [V]

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ANV001 CIRCULATOR
The resulting VSWR is given by:
| |
| |

The effective input VSWR of a Circulator will vary as a function of the load VSWR. If the output load
mismatch is increased, more energy is reflected towards the terminated port. After attenuated by the isolation
it is then reflected back to the input. Due to which there is increase in total VSWR observed at the input.

Therefore, a low VSWR specification is always desirable. VSWR is expressed in ratio form relative to 1
(example 1.25:1). Following are two special cases of VSWR:
- VSWR of ∞:1 is obtained when the load is an open circuit
- VSWR of 1:1 is obtained when the load is perfectly matched to source impedance.

Power Ratings:
Power ratings are a measure of maximum RF signal handling capacity of a Circulator, without degradation in
performance, signal distortion and / or attenuation. Exceeding these absolute ratings can cause malfunctioning
of the Circulator. Depending on the nature of applied RF signal, a Circulator can have following different
power ratings:

Average Power Ratings: The Average power represents the maximum power that the Circulator can
handle when power is applied continuously. This can be the average power of a continuous wave (CW) signal
or the temporal average of the power of a pulsed signal. In the case of a CW signal, the average power rating
of the Circulator must be greater than the average power of the applied RF signal. Whereas for pulse signal,
the Circulator average power rating must be greater than the product of temporal peak and duty cycle of the
applied RF signal.

Peak Power Ratings: The capability of the Circulator to handle applied pulsed RF signal with certain
peak level. The temporal peak level of applied RF signal must not exceed the peak power rating of the
Circulator.

Reflective Power Ratings: Circulators do not have reflective power ratings because they do not have
an internal termination attached to them. But when using a Circulator as an Isolator an external termination is
connected to the one of the three ports of the Circulator. In that case only, the capability of the Circulator
terminated port (e.g. port 3) to handle and dissipate the reflected RF signal from output port (e.g. port 2) is
known as reflective power ratings.

The maximum reflective power rating depends upon the quality of termination and termination power
handling capacity which will be the same as peak power ratings of the terminations. In case when the
termination receives too much power for long period, it will be damaged. The power ratings of the Circulator
are determined by the following primary factors:

- Voltage levels: Voltage levels are ultimately determined by the incident and reflected signal levels and the
effective VSWR of the Circulator.

- Heat dissipation: Heat is generated in the Circulator because of insertion losses and reflections. This heat
is nothing but unwanted form of power. Hence, it should be dissipated otherwise it can cause following
adverse effects on the Circulator operation:
 Degaussing of the permanent magnets that bias the ferrites
 Once the magnets are degaussed completely, the dielectric will melt which eventually destroys the
Circulator
 Thermal expansion of the internal circuit to distort geometric parameters and thereby degrading quoted
specifications

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ANV001 CIRCULATOR
Heat dissipation is mainly determined by the impedance match quality and power ratings of Circulator. Hence,
sometimes it is beneficial to operate the Circulator with heat sink, to handle power levels which are much
closer to the maximum power levels of the Circulator.

Group Delay:
The time taken by the applied RF signal to travel from input port towards the output port of the Circulator is
called as Group delay. It is typically expressed in picoseconds or nanoseconds; it indicates the phase linearity
of the Circulator.

Circulator group delay measurement is done using frequency domain method. This involves considering the
vector S-parameter data over desired frequency range for the Circulator. From this S-parameter data set group
delay is evaluated as a function of frequency.

Mathematically, it is the negative of the rate of change of phase with angular frequency.

τg = - (∂ɸ/ ∂ω)
Where,
ɸ: total phase shift [Radians]
ω: angular frequency [Radians/Seconds]
f: frequency [Hertz].

It is desirable to have a group delay value that is constant relative to all frequencies in the band of interest. A
constant group delay represents a linear phase over the desired frequency band. On the other hand large
fluctuations in group delay represent phase nonlinearities caused by the Circulator. These nonlinearities in a
transmission path of RF signal are undesirable, as they indicate the signal degradation by the Circulator.

Spin Waves:
Spin waves are associated with Circulator ferrite discs and there measurement is important to determine the
power handling of ferrites. Power handling capability of Circulator in turn depends on the power threshold of
ferrites. Above the threshold power level, there is an abrupt rise in the peak power. At certain critical RF
power level, spin waves excitation starts.

Spin wave instability disrupts the RF signal driven uniform mode. The excited spine waves are out of the
phase with uniform mode and have same or harmonics frequencies of the uniform mode. These forms a
wave’s pattern causing the saturation of the main resonance line width. As saturation level begins to increase
absorption within the ferrite increases nonlinearly.

These spin waves eventually increase the heat and Circulator insertion loss than the specified values.

Applications:
RF Duplexer:
Circulator can be used as an RF duplexer to share the same antenna between transmitter and receiver, which
are tuned to different frequencies. This configuration allows bidirectional communications over a single
channel. Using a Circulator for branching, only one inexpensive filter is necessary at the input of the receiver.
This helps to reduce the number of components and operating costs.

As shown in the Figure 4, by attaching a transmitter to port 1, an antenna to port 2, and a receiver to port 3,
one antenna is used perform two tasks. The transmitted signal goes directly to the antenna port and is isolated
from the receiver. All received signals from the antenna go straight to the receiver and not towards the
transmitter because of the non-reciprocal nature of the Circulator.

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ANV001 CIRCULATOR

Figure 4: Circulator as RF Duplexer

Depending upon the antenna impedance, the power of the transmitter at the input of the receiver branch is
reduced by more than 10 dB by the circulator. There by protecting the receiver from high power transmitter
signals.

High Isolation:
For applications where higher isolation and much better directivity are needed, a dual junction Circulator is
used. A dual junction Circulator is a series combination two Circulators integrated in a single package.

As shown in the Figure 5 a constructed dual Circulator has 4 ports with following possible configurations:

Figure 5: Dual Circulator

Port Number Configuration 1 Configuration 2

Port 1 Input Terminated
Port 2 Output Terminated
Port 3 Terminated Output
Port 4 Terminated Input

Table 1: Dual Circulator Port Configurations

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ANV001 CIRCULATOR
Applied RF signal is forced to flow either from (port 1 to port 2) or (port 3 to port 4); while (ports 3 and 4) or
(ports 1 and 2) are terminated with external matched loads respectively. When travelling from (port 1 to port
2) or (port 3 to port 4) transmitted signal cross two ferrite junctions. In this way very high isolation is achieved
between the input and output. Typical isolation obtained with a dual Circulator is in the range of 40 to 50 dB.

Radio Link Combiner:

A Circulator can be used as an RF signal combiner for multiple transmitters and receivers in the VHF/UHF
bands. For radio links operating at 2 GHz and higher frequencies the conventional combining technique using
an array of sharp filters, results in relatively high losses especially for transmitter TX1 and receiver RX1.
These losses are due to difficulties in sharp tuning of the filters.

When some of the filters in conventional combiner are replaced by Circulators following combiner topology is
obtained (see Figure 6). The combining losses are reduced by reducing the filter tuning influences. To meet
the stringent requirements for intermodulation the Circulator used only in waveguide systems.

Figure 6: Circulator Radio Link

Using the above principle RF amplifier stage combiner can be designed with the help of Circulators.

Application Areas:
Following are some industrial fields served by Circulators:
- Television & Radio broadcasting
- Radio links & telecommunication networks
- Aviation & navigation industries
- Military equipment & Radar systems
- Laboratory measurement systems
- Industrial microwave heating

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ANV001 CIRCULATOR
Operating Precautions:
Like other high frequency components Circulators have some kind of operating safety and handling
precautions. In this section the Circulator protection measures have been considered.

Operating Temperature:
The material properties of ferrites and magnets used in Circulators are temperature dependent. This can cause
unstable performance characteristics over operating range. This mainly depends on the magnetic field, applied
to saturate the ferrite material. Following techniques can extend the Circulator temperature performance range
by a significant amount.

- Temperature compensated magnets and ferrites materials need to be used where wide temperature ranges
are required.
- For proper thermal behavior Circulator is installed such that ambient temperature air must be allowed to
circulate freely.
- External heat sinks and forced air cooling systems must be used under high heat dissipations and high
ambient temperatures.

External Magnetic Fields:

Circulators have permanently biased magnets that produce strong fields to control RF signal flow. When a
Circulator is placed in close proximity to another magnet / magnetic fields the two magnetic fields interact
with each other.

Circulators are normally semi-shielded for operation in close proximity of large ferrous objects or external
magnetic fields to minimize magnetic interference.

Even if the Circulator is magnetically shielded, strong AC field can affect its characteristics and demagnetize
the internal magnets, causing complete de-tuning. This mechanism is known as degaussing. At this stage the
Circulator magnets are unable to control the RF signal flow. Hence, during storage it is recommended that
Circulators should be separated by at least 3 inches from other magnetic devices.

On Site Mounting:
To ensure the satisfactory performance and avoid any mechanical damage to the Circulator following
measures should be taken into account:

- With a proper assembly mount a Circulator in its specified operating conditions only
- Do not put too much stress on Circulator connectors
- If possible avoid mounting a Circulator near strong AC fields, magnetic fields and high power sources

Packaging Types:
Depending on the application environment requirements various connector types can be supplied on
Circulators such as:

- Drop-In Circulators
- N-Type Circulators
- SMA Coaxial Circulators
- Surface Mount Circulators

Some connectors however, cause limitations in the electrical performance of the high frequency and broad
bandwidth Circulators. The package size may have to be increased to accommodate certain connector types.
In general SMA male or female connectors are the most popular and easiest to install. Many times N-Type
and right angle connectors of various types are used. Some connectors, however, cause limitations in the
electrical performance of the high frequency and broad bandwidth Circulators.

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ANV001 CIRCULATOR
Another connector configuration can be obtained by mounting the Circulator on a waveguide adapter. These
devices are known as Isoadaptors. In such devices the large waveguide section provides a rigid base for the
usually smaller coaxial circulator. These units are particularly useful when both waveguide and coaxial
connectors are required. For example, the waveguide port can accept a signal directly from a waveguide
antenna, while the output from a SMA connector port can be fed directly to solid-state amplifier.

Circulators can also be supplied with removable connectors. The connector shell can be removed to allow the
center conductor to be directly soldered to a circuit board. Normally a high temperature solder is used for the
internal solder joint so the pin will not move while being soldered to the board. This type of component is
known as drop in Circulator.

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 ABOUT VALVO
Valvo Bauelemente GmbH is a Germany based company specializing in design and
developments of standard as well as special RF and microwave ferrite components.
Valvo Bauelemente GmbH has more than 30 years of experience in providing well-
rounded expertise solutions, technologies and design techniques.

The core of the company is a highly experienced team of respected technologists with
developments of performance specific, high reliability complex products. The
company has delivered excellent performance in several International R&D projects.

All products are controlled to the highest standards for guaranteed delivery and
customer satisfaction.

PRODUCTS
Valvo Bauelemente GmbH is focused on 50 MHz to 18 GHz Circulators, Isolators,
Waveguides, and microwave ferrite devices. We offer narrow and broad band devices
in coaxial, waveguide, drop-in constructions which are ideally suited for integration
into compact systems.

Our highly skilled staff has a strong working knowledge and experience on a variety
of ferrite devices with over 2,000 existing designs. This makes us possible to offer
custom product solutions in addition to wide range standard product solutions.

For more information regarding products, technical data please visit www.valvo.com
or please contact our sales department on [email protected] for any specific
requirements.

Copyright © Valvo Bauelemente GmbH 1999

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