Microwave Engineering and

Antennas

Impedance matching with

lumped elements
Bart Smolders, Professor
Department of Electrical Engineering
Center for Wireless Technology Eindhoven
Impedance matching with lumped
elements
Objective of this lecture

• Explain need for impedance

matching
• LC matching
• Show example using the Smith
chart
Power matching
Time average power delivered to load IL
1 ZS
PL = Re {VL I L }
* +
+
2 VS ZS=RS+jXS ZL VL
VS Z L - ZL=RL+jXL
VL =
ZS + ZL -

VS
IL =
ZS + ZL

1  2

 VS Z L  1
2
VS RL
PL = Re  2 
=
( RS + RL ) + ( X S + X L )
2 2
2  ZS + ZL 
  2
Power matching
Time average power delivered to load IL
ZS
2
VS RL
+
1 +
PL = VS ZL VL
2 ( RS + RL )2 + ( X S + X L )2 -
-

Maximum power is delivered when

∂PL ∂PL RL = RS *
= = 0 ZL = Z S
∂RL ∂X L XL = −XS
Matching circuit
Lumped matching using L and C ZS
+
Matching
VS ZL
circuit
-
Z = jω L

1
Z =
jωC
When can we use lumped element matching?
Semiconductor technologies (ICs) SMD component, 0402 size (1x0.5 mm2)

Laminate substrate (PCB)

Smolders, A. B., Pulsford, N. J., Philippe, P., & van Straten, F. E. (2004).
RF SiP : the next wave for wireless system integration.
In Proceedings of the 2004 IEEE Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits (RFIC) Symposium, pp. 233-236, 2004

Wavelength must be much larger than size component

LC-matching using Smith chart
C

Series C ZL
Shunt L
Series L
ZL

Series C Shunt C ZL
Shunt C C

Series L ZL

Shunt L L ZL
LC-matching using Smith chart
C

Series C ZL
Shunt L
Series L
ZL

Series C Shunt C ZL
Shunt C C

Series L ZL

Shunt L L ZL
Example LC-matching
Design matching circuit to match a 100 Ohm load to a
50 Ohm source at f=1 GHz

50 Ω
+
Matching

100 Ω
VS
circuit
-

ZL Step 1: Add Shunt C

Step 2: Add Series L
Shunt C
Series L
Realized matching circuit:
L=7.96nH

ZL
C=1.595pF
Example LC-matching
Frequency response realized matching circuit
0.8

0.6 L=7.96nH
mag(S(1,1))

0.4 ZL
C=1.595pF

0.2

0.0
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0

freq, GHz
Example LC-matching
What about conjugate matching?

L=7.96nH

Zs=50 Ω ZS ZL ZL=100 Ω
C=1.595pF

Zin Zin

Zin=50 + j50 Ω Zin=50 - j50 Ω

Summary
• Lumped-element matching when size
components << λ
• Smith chart is a useful tool for design
of matching circuits
• Example LC matching
• Next web lecture we will extend
concept to matching with
transmission lines.