EEE 356 Microwave and Antenna Engineering Sessional

Experiment No: 01
Experiment Name: Simulation of Characteristic Impedance of a Coaxial Cable using AWR
Design Environment

Objectives:
1. To familiarize with AWR Design Environment software.
2. To understand the concept of characteristic impedance.
3. To determine the characteristic impedance of a coaxial cable.

Introduction:
AWR Design Environment is a leading electronic design automation (EDA) software suite
developed by Applied Wave Research Inc. (AWR), now a part of National Instruments. It is widely
used in the design and analysis of radio frequency (RF), microwave, and high-frequency electronic
circuits and systems. AWR Design Environment provides a comprehensive platform for engineers
to design, simulate, and optimize complex RF/microwave circuits efficiently.

Key Features of AWR Design Environment:

1. Integrated Design Environment (IDE): AWR Design Environment offers an intuitive and user-
friendly interface for designing electronic circuits. It provides a unified environment where users
can access various tools and modules seamlessly.
2. Circuit Simulation: The software offers advanced circuit simulation capabilities, including linear
and nonlinear analyses, and time-domain simulation.
3.Electromagnetic(EM) Simulation:AWR Design Environment includes powerful electromagnetic
simulation engines for analyzing the electromagnetic behavior of complex structures such as
transmission lines, antennas, and RF components. It supports both planar and 3D EM simulation
techniques.
4. Schematic Capture: The schematic capture tool allows users to create and edit circuit schematics
easily. It provides a rich library of RF/microwave components and symbols for efficient circuit
design.
5. Layout Design: AWR Design Environment enables users to design and optimize the physical
layout of RF/microwave circuits. It offers features for routing transmission lines, placing
components, and optimizing layout parameters to achieve desired performance.
 EEE 356 Microwave and Antenna Engineering Sessional

6. Data Display and Visualization: The software provides comprehensive data visualization tools
for analyzing simulation results. Users can plot various graphs, including S-parameters, Smith
charts, and time-domain waveforms, to gain insights into circuit behavior.
7. Optimization and Yield Analysis: AWR Design Environment includes optimization algorithms
for automating the design optimization process. Engineers can define design goals and constraints
and let the software find optimal solutions automatically. Additionally, it offers yield analysis tools
for assessing circuit performance variability due to manufacturing tolerances.
8. System Simulation: AWR Design Environment supports system-level simulation, allowing
engineers to analyze the performance of RF/microwave systems composed of multiple
interconnected components. It facilitates the design and optimization of complete communication
systems and radar systems.
9. Integration with Third-Party Tools: The software integrates seamlessly with third-party
simulation tools and design automation platforms, enabling interoperability with other EDA
software suites and CAD tools.
10. Customization and Extensibility: AWR Design Environment provides customization options
and scripting capabilities for extending its functionality. Users can develop custom scripts and
plugins to automate repetitive tasks and tailor the software to their specific requirements.

Transmission Lines:
Transmission lines are fundamental components in electrical engineering used to connect sources
to loads. They consist of two or more parallel conductors and are employed in a wide range of
applications, including power distribution and high-frequency communications.
 EEE 356 Microwave and Antenna Engineering Sessional

Examples of Transmission Lines:

• Coaxial Cables: Commonly used in electrical laboratories and for connecting TV sets to
antennas, coaxial cables are a type of transmission line characterized by an inner conductor
surrounded by an insulating layer and an outer conductor.
• Two-Wire Line: This transmission line configuration consists of two parallel conductors
used for various applications, including telephone lines and low-frequency signal
transmission.
• Parallel-Plate or Planar Line: A transmission line structure comprising two parallel
conducting plates separated by a dielectric medium, often used in high-frequency circuits.
• Wire Above the Conducting Plane: In this configuration, a wire is placed above a
conducting plane, providing a simple transmission line structure used in certain
applications.
• Microstrip Line: Found in integrated circuits, microstrip lines consist of metallic strips
deposited on dielectric substrates, serving as transmission lines for high-frequency signals.

Figure 1.1: Typical transmission lines in cross-sectional view: (a) coaxial line, (b) two-wire
line, (c) planar line, (d) wire above conducting plane, (e) microstrip line.
A coaxial cable consists of a central conductor, surrounded by a dielectric material, which is further
enclosed by an outer conductor (usually a metal shield). The characteristic impedance of a coaxial
cable is a crucial parameter in determining the cable's performance, especially in high-frequency
 EEE 356 Microwave and Antenna Engineering Sessional

applications. It represents the ratio of voltage to current along the transmission line and is typically
expressed in ohms.

FIGURE 1.2 Common transmission lines: (a) coaxial line, (b) two-wire line, (c) planar line.
It is customary and convenient to describe a transmission line in terms of its line parameters, which
are its resistance per unit length R, inductance per unit length L, conductance per unit length G,
and capacitance per unit length C. Each of the lines shown in Figure 1.1 has specific formulas for
finding R, L, G, and C. For coaxial, two-wire, and planar lines, the formulas for calculating the
values of R, L, G, and C are provided in Table 1.1. The dimensions of the lines are as shown in
Figure 1.2. It should be noted that

1. The line parameters R, L, G, and C are not discrete or lumped. Rather, they are distributed as
shown in Figure 1.3. By this we mean that the parameters are uniformly distributed along the entire
length of the line.

FIGURE 1.3 Distributed parameters of a two-conductor transmission line.

 EEE 356 Microwave and Antenna Engineering Sessional

TABLE 1.1 Distributed Line Parameters at High Frequencies*

2. For each line, the conductors are characterized by σc, µc, εc=εo and the homogeneous dielectric
separating the conductors is characterized by σ, µ, ε .
3. G ≠1/R; R is the ac resistance per unit length of the conductors comprising the line, and G is
the conductance per unit length due to the dielectric medium separating the conductors.
4. The value of L shown in Table 1.1 is the external inductance per unit length, that is, L = Lext.
The effects of internal inductance Lin= ( R / ω) are negligible at the high frequencies at which most
communication systems operate.
5. For each line,
𝐺 𝜎
LC=µε and, =
𝐶 𝜀

The characteristic impedance Zo of the line is the ratio of the positively traveling voltage wave
to the current wave at any point on the line.
 EEE 356 Microwave and Antenna Engineering Sessional

where Ro and Xo are the real and imaginary parts of Zo. Do not mistake Ro for R—while R is in
ohms per meter, Ro is in ohms. The propagation constant 𝛾 and the characteristic impedance Zo are
important properties of the line because both depend on the line parameters R, L, G, and C and the
frequency of operation. The reciprocal of Zo is the characteristic admittance Yo , that is, Yo = 1/Zo.

Questions and Answers:

1. Explore different types of coaxial cables and their applications in RF/microwave systems.
2. What factors influence the characteristic impedance of a coaxial cable?
3. How does changing the dimensions of the inner and outer conductors affect the
characteristic impedance?
4. Discuss the significance of characteristic impedance matching in high-frequency
transmission lines.