1/26/2005 Transmission Line Input Impedance.

doc 1/9

Transmission Line
Input Impedance
Consider a lossless line, length A , terminated with a load ZL.

I(z) IL

+ +
V (z) Z0 , VL
ZL
- -

A
z = A z = 0

Lets determine the input impedance of this line!

Q: Just what do you mean by input impedance?

A: The input impedance is simply the line impedance seen

at the beginning ( z = A) of the transmission line, i.e.:

V ( z = A )
Zin = Z ( z = A ) =
I ( z = A )

Note Zin equal to neither the load impedance ZL nor the

characteristic impedance Z0 !

Zin Z L and Zin Z 0

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

1/26/2005 Transmission Line Input Impedance.doc 2/9

To determine exactly what Zin is, we first must determine the

voltage and current at the beginning of the transmission line
( z = A ).
V ( z = A ) = V0+ e + j A + L e j A

V0+ + j A
I ( z = A ) = e L e j A
Z0
Therefore:

V ( z = A ) e + j A + L e j A
Zin = = Z0 + j A
I ( z = A ) e L e j A

We can explicitly write Zin in terms of load ZL using the

previously determined relationship:

ZL Z0
L =
ZL + Z0

Combining these two expressions, we get:

Zin = Z0
( ZL + Z 0 ) e + j A + (ZL Z 0 ) e j A
(ZL + Z 0 ) e + j A (ZL Z 0 ) e j A
Z L (e + j A + e j A ) + Z 0 (e + j A e j A )
= Z0
Z L (e + j A + e j A ) Z 0 (e + j A e j A )

Now, recall Eulers equations:

e + j A = cos A + j sin A
e j A = cos A j sin A
Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS
1/26/2005 Transmission Line Input Impedance.doc 3/9

Using Eulers relationships, we can likewise write the input

impedance without the complex exponentials:

Z L cos A + j Z 0 sin A
Zin = Z 0
Z 0
cos A + j Z L sin A
Z + j Z 0 tan A
= Z0 L
Z
0 + j Z L tan A

Note that depending on the values of , Z 0 and A , the input

impedance can be radically different from the load impedance
ZL !

Special Cases

Now lets look at the Zin for some important load impedances
and line lengths.

You should commit these results to memory!

1. A =
2

If the length of the transmission line is exactly one-half

wavelength ( A = 2 ), we find that:

2
A = =
2
meaning that:

cos A = cos = 1 and sin A = sin = 0

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

1/26/2005 Transmission Line Input Impedance.doc 4/9

and therefore:
Z L cos A + j Z 0 sin A
Zin = Z 0
Z 0 cos A + j Z L sin A
Z ( 1) + j Z L (0)
= Z0 L
Z
0 ( 1) + j Z L (0)
= ZL

In other words, if the transmission line is precisely one-half

wavelength long, the input impedance is equal to the load
impedance, regardless of Z0 or .

Zin = Z L Z0, ZL

A =
2

2. A =
4

If the length of the transmission line is exactly one-quarter

wavelength ( A = 4 ), we find that:

2
A = =
4 2
meaning that:

cos A = cos 2 = 0 and sin A = sin 2 = 1

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

1/26/2005 Transmission Line Input Impedance.doc 5/9

and therefore:

Z L cos A + j Z 0 sin A
Zin = Z 0
Z
0 cos A + j Z L sin A
Z (0) + j Z 0 (1)
= Z0 L
Z 0
(0) + j Z L (1)
(Z )
2
0
=
ZL

In other words, if the transmission line is precisely one-quarter

wavelength long, the input impedance is inversely proportional to
the load impedance.

Think about what this means! Say the load impedance is a short
circuit, such that Z L = 0 . The input impedance at beginning of
the 4 transmission line is therefore:

( Z ) ( Z )
2 2

Zin = 0
= 0
=
ZL 0

Zin = ! This is an open circuit! The quarter-wave transmission

line transforms a short-circuit into an open-circuitand vice
versa!

Zin = Z0 , ZL=0

A =
4
Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS
1/26/2005 Transmission Line Input Impedance.doc 6/9

3. Z L = Z 0

If the load is numerically equal to the characteristic impedance

of the transmission line (a real value), we find that the input
impedance becomes:

Z L cos A + j Z 0 sin A
Zin = Z 0
Z
0 cos A + j Z L sin A
Z cos A + j Z 0 sin A
= Z0 0
Z
0 cos A + j Z 0
sin A
= Z0

In other words, if the load impedance is equal to the

transmission line characteristic impedance, the input impedance
will be likewise be equal to Z0 regardless of the transmission
line length A .

Zin = Z 0 Z0 , ZL=Z0

4. Z L = j X L

If the load is purely reactive (i.e., the resistive component is

zero), the input impedance is:

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

1/26/2005 Transmission Line Input Impedance.doc 7/9

Z L cos A + j Z 0 sin A
Zin = Z 0
Z
0 cos A + j Z L sin A
j X L cos A + j Z 0 sin A
= Z0
Z 0 cos A + j X L sin A
2

X cos A + Z 0 sin A
= j Z0 L
Z
0 cos A X L sin A

In other words, if the load is purely reactive, then the input

impedance will likewise be purely reactive, regardless of the
line length A .

Z in = j X in Z0 , ZL=jXL

Note that the opposite is not true: even if the load is purely
resistive (ZL = R), the input impedance will be complex (both
resistive and reactive components).

Q: Why is this?

A:

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

1/26/2005 Transmission Line Input Impedance.doc 8/9

5. A 

If the transmission line is electrically smallits length A is

small with respect to signal wavelength --we find that:

2 A
A = A = 2 0

and thus:

cos A = cos 0 = 1 and sin A = sin 0 = 0

so that the input impedance is:

Z L cos A + j Z 0 sin A
Zin = Z 0
Z
0 cos A + j Z L sin A
Z (1) + j Z L (0)
= Z0 L
Z 0 (1) + j Z L (0)
= ZL

In other words, if the transmission line length is much smaller

than a wavelength, the input impedance Zin will always be equal
to the load impedance Z L .

This is the assumption we used in all previous circuits courses

(e.g., EECS 211, 212, 312, 412)! In those courses, we assumed
that the signal frequency is relatively low, such that the
signal wavelength is very large (  A ).

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS

1/26/2005 Transmission Line Input Impedance.doc 9/9

Note also for this case ( the electrically short transmission

line), the voltage and current at each end of the transmission
line are approximately the same!

V (z = A) V (z = 0) and I(z = A) I (z = 0) if A 

If A  , our wire behaves exactly as it did in EECS 211 !

Jim Stiles The Univ. of Kansas Dept. of EECS