Microwave Engineering

Chapter 3: Smith chart

Pham Quang Thai – pqthai.hcmut@gmail.com

1
 Principles of Smith chart

Why?
Z L  Z0 .th( d )
Imagine solving this in 1940, without any computer: Z ( x)  Z 0
Z 0  Z L .th( d )
Who?
Phillip Hagar Smith (1905–1987)

Where?
Bell Telephone Laboratories

When?
1939
 Principles of Smith chart
• A representation of all possible
complex impedances in
reflection coefficient plane.
Simplify estimation of:
– Γ and Z at a point in the
transmission line
– Γ and Z along the transmission line
– Distances to max/min voltage of
the standing wave
– Voltage SWR
– Z and Y at a point in the
transmission line
 Reflection wave
Building Smith chart:  region inside the unit circle | ( x) | 1
Incident wave

-plane

=0.5 in -plane =-j in -plane =-0.3+j0.4 in -plane

 Relation between  and Z at position x along the line:
1  ( x )
Z ( x)  Z 0
1  ( x )
To build Smith chart for an arbitrary value of Z0, Z(x) is scaled to its normalized value

Z ( x)
z ( x) 
Z0
 1 
z  1 

 Z R X 1   r  i
z   j  r  jx  r  jx 
 R0 R0 R0 1   r  i
   r  j  i


 1   2r  i2
r 
 1   r  i
2 2

x  2i
 1   2r  i2
 1   r2  i2
2 2
 r   1 
r in -plane: r
1   r2  i2
 
 r  
1 r 
  2
  
 1 r 
i


Constant r circles
 2i
2 2
 1 1
x in -plane:  
2
x    1  
 i    
1   r  i
r
 x  x
2 2

Constant x circles
The impedance Smith chart.
Example: location of r=0.2+j0.5 in Smith chart

Smith chart with constant r and constant x circles

 1
1
The admittance Smith chart   z  1    y   y  1
z 1 1
1 y 1
y
y  g  jb
 The admittance Smith chart.

Smith chart with constant g and constant b circles

Applications: find Γ and Z at a point in the transmission line
 Relation between reflection coefficients

V ( x)  V (l ).e2 d .e j 2  d
2 2 2 
  2  d  2 d  2  2
   2
d /2 12
Applications: find Γ and Z at distance d from load (lossless line)
(1)

(2)

(3)

(3)
Applications: find SWR, Vmax and Vmin from load

Vx  V .e x 1   x   Vx  V . 1   x
Vx  Vmax  V . 1  l 
  x real and positive
Vx  Vmin  V . 1  l 
  x real and negative

1 
SWR 
1 
Applications: find Vmax and Vmin from load
Applications: find Vmax and Vmin from load
Applications: find Y form Z
Example 1: Calculate complex input impedance

22.5nH
C1
10p
C2
12p R
50

Z
  109 (rad / s)
Choose: R0  50 ()
R  1/ j C1
zRC1   1 j2
R0
bC 2  j 0.6
xL  j 0.45 18
 g  0.2 

 jC2  yRC1C2  0.2  j1
b  0.6 ,  yC2  
 1/ R0 
C
yRC1  0.2  j 0.4
L
B
22.5nH
C1
10p
C2
12p R
50

r  0.2 

 j L   A
x  0.45 ,  zL   z  0.2  j 0.5
 R0 
zRC1  1  j 2
E
D

zRC1C2  0.2  j 0.95

 Z  R0 .z  10  j 25()
19
 Review

• Problem 2.20-2.23