Waveguides

1
2 Parallel wire transmission lines

 Cannot effectively propagate EM

energy above approximately 20
GHz
 Cannot be used to propagate
signals with high powers
 Impractical for many UHF and
microwave applications
3 Waveguide

 Is a hollow conductive tube,

usually rectangular in cross
section but sometimes
circular or elliptical
 Generally used to
frequencies above 1 GHz
4 Signal Injection and Extraction

 A microwave signal to be carried by a

waveguide is introduced into one end of the
waveguide with an antennalike probe that
creates an electromagnetic wave that
propagates through the waveguide. The
electric and magnetic fields associated with
the signal bounce off the inside walls back
and forth as the signal progresses down the
waveguide. The waveguide totally contains
the signal so that none escapes by radiation.
 Signal Injection and Extraction
5

• The probe shown in the figure is a

one-quarter wavelength vertical
antenna at the signal frequency
that is inserted in the waveguide
one-quarter wavelength from the
end, which is closed.

• Because the probe is located one-

quarter wavelength from the closed
end of the waveguide, the signal
from the probe is reflected from the
closed end of the line back toward
the open end. Over a one-quarter
wavelength distance, the reflected
signal appears back at the probe in
phase to aid the signal going in the
opposite direction.
6 Signal Injection and Extraction

• A loop can also be used to

introduce a magnetic field into a
waveguide.

• Microwave energy applied

through a short piece of coaxial
cable causes a magnetic field to
be set up in the loop.
 Rectangular waveguide
7

 Most common form of

waveguide

Must satisfy Maxwell’s

equations through the guide
The wave must propagate
down the guide in a zigzag
manner, with the electric field
maximum in the center of the
guide and zero at the
surface of the walls.
8 Example
 A rectangular waveguide has a
width of 0.65 in and a height of
0.38 in.
(a)What is the cutoff frequency?
(b)What is a typical operating
frequency for this waveguide?
 Circular waveguide
9

 Used in radar
and microwave
applications
when it is
necessary or
advantageous
to propagate
both vertically
and horizontally
polarized waves
in the same
waveguide
 Circular waveguide
10

 Easier to manufacture than

rectangular waveguides
 Easier to join together
 Have a much larger area that a
corresponding rectangular waveguide
used to carry the same signal
 Plane of polarization may rotate while
the wave is propagating down it
11 Ridged Waveguide
12 Ridged Waveguide
Advantages Disadvantages

 Used for  Will have less

impedance power handling
matching purpose. capabilities
This is because it compare to
helps in decreasing rectangular
the characteristic waveguide of the
impedance of the same dimension
guide
 Increases the
bandwidth if
operation
 Flexible waveguide
13
 Consists of spiral-wound
ribbons of brass or copper.
 Short pieces of this are used in
microwave systems when
several transmitters and
receivers are interconnected to
a complex combining or
separating unit
 Also used extensively in
microwave test equipment
 Limitations
 Increased loss
 Possible introduction
of passive
intermodulation
products
 Minimum bend radius
14
Group velocity
Velocity at
which a
wave
propagates

Phase velocity
 Velocity at
which the
wave
changes
phase
 15  

 Where: 𝜆g- guide wavelength (meters/cycle)

𝜆 o- free-space wavelength (meters/cycle)
Vph- phase velocity (m/s)
c – free space velocity of light

NOTE: Phase velocity may exceed the velocity of light

 16 Cutoff frequency
 Is an absolute limiting frequency
 Frequencies above this will be propagated by the
waveguide
Cutoff wavelength
 Smallest free-space wavelength that is just
unable to propagate in a waveguide
 Only frequencies less than the cutoff wavelength

can propagate down the waveguide

 17

 
 Where: 𝜆g – guide wavelength
f- frequency of operation
fc – cutoff frequency
c – free-space propagation
velocity

 
 Where: 𝜆g – guide wavelength
𝜆 o – free-space wavelength

f- frequency of operation
fc – cutoff frequency
 18
 
 

   

Where: fc – cutoff frequency

a – cross-sectional length
19 Example
For a rectangular waveguide with a
wall separation of 3cm and a
desired frequency of operation of
6GHz, determine
 Cutoff frequency
 Cutoff wavelength
 Group velocity
 Phase velocity
20 Modes of Propagation

In 1955, the Institute of Radio

Engineers published a set of
standards.

TEm,n – transverse-electric waves

TMm,n – transverse-magnetic
waves
 21 Modes of Propagation

 In Figure (a), a vertical probe is generating a vertically polarized

wave with a vertical electric field and a magnetic field at a right angle
to the electric field. The electric field is at a right angle to the
direction of wave propagation, so it is called a transverse electric
(TE) field.
 Figure (b) shows how a loop would set up the signal. In this case,
the magnetic field is transverse to the direction of propagation, so it
is called a transverse magnetic (TM) field.
 Modes of Propagation
22

 Wave paths in a waveguide at various frequencies. (a) High frequency. (b) Medium
frequency. (c) Low frequency. (d) Cutoff frequency.
23

Whenever a
microwave signal
is launched into a
waveguide by a
probe or loop,
electric and
magnetic fields are  Electric and
created in various
patterns magnetic
depending upon fields in a
the method rectangular
of energy coupling,
frequency of waveguide:
operation, and size (a) top view
of waveguide. (b) end view
  Other waveguide
operating modes
24

SUBSCRIPTS:
1st number - indicates the
number of half-wavelength
patterns of transverse lines
that exist along the short
dimension
of the guide through the
center of the cross section.

2nd number - indicates the

number of transverse half
wavelength patterns that
exist along the long
dimension of the guide
through the center of
the cross section.
 Characteristic impedance
25
 Waveguides have a characteristic impedance
that is analogous to the characteristic
impedance of parallel-wire transmission lines
and closely related to the characteristic
impedance of free-space.
26 Example
Calculate the characteristic impedance
of a waveguide with a cut-off frequency
of 3.75 GHz, at a frequency of 5 GHz?
 Impedance Matching
27

Waveguide Irises
28

Conducting posts and screws

 Waveguide Hardware and
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Accessories
 Connection Joints
 consists of two
flanges connected
to the waveguide at
the center. The
right-hand flange is
flat, and the one at
the left is slotted
one- quarter
wavelength deep at
a distance of one-
quarter wavelength
from the point at
which the walls of
the guide are
joined.
 Waveguide Hardware and
30
Accessories
 Curved Sections
 Special curved
waveguide sections
are available for
making 90° bends.
 Curved sections
introduce reflections
and power loss, but
these are kept small
by proper design.
When the radius of
the curved section is
greater than 2λat the
signal frequency,
losses are minimized.
 Waveguide Hardware and
31
Accessories  T Sections
 It is occasionally
necessary to split or
combine two or more
sources of microwave
power. This is done with
T sections or T junctions
 The T can be formed on
the short or long side of
the waveguide. If the
junction is formed on the
short side, it is called a
shunt T. If the junction is
formed on the long side, it
is called a series T, Each
T section has three ports,
which can be used as
inputs or outputs.
 Waveguide Hardware and
32
Accessories
 Hybrid T’s
 can be formed by
combining the
series and shunt T
sections
 Sometimes referred
to as a magic T
 used as a duplexer
to permit
simultaneous use of
a single antenna by
both a transmitter
and a receiver
 Waveguide Hardware and
33
Accessories  Directional Couplers
 used to facilitate
the measurement
of microwave
power in a
waveguide and
the SWR.
 They can also be
used to tap off a
small portion of a
high-power
microwave signal
to be sent to
another circuit or
piece of
equipment.