Introduction to Microwaves

• Electromagnetic waves with frequency

ranges from 1GHz to 106 GHz are
microwaves.
• Microwave frequencies are upto infrared
and visible light regions.
• The wavelenght of electromagnetic
waves at microwave frequencies are very
short. ie roughly from 30cm to 1mm
 Microwave sourses
• High power microwave sources use
specialized vaccum tubes to generate
microwave.
• Operate on the principle of ballistic motion of
electrons in a vaccum under the influence of
controlled electric or magnetic field.
• Includes klystron, magnetron, travelling wave
tube and gyrotron
 Microwave sourses
• Lower power microwave sources use solid state
devices such as FET, Tunnel diodes, Gunn diodes
and IMPATT diodes.
• MASER is a solid state device which amplifies
microwave using similar principle of LASER

MASER - Microwave Amplification by Stimulated

Emission of Radiation
LASER – Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission
of Radiation
Characteristic features of Microwaves
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• Microwaves consists of electric and magnetic

fields which are perpendicular to each other.
• The wavelength is small and frequency is high.
• They propagate in free space freely.
• The attenuation in free space is small.
Characteristic features of Microwaves
• Microwave is highly directive which makes it
possible for microwave communication used
for telephone n/ws, radio-broadcasting and
television systems.
• Microwaves are transmitted through good
dielectrics.
• The depth of penetration is infinite in
dielectrics.
Characteristic features of Microwaves
• They do not penetrate in good conductors.
• They are reflected back from good
conductors.
• Like any other energy, microwave energy has
a heating effect and this property introduced
the idea of microwave ovans, drying machines
and in food processing industries.
 Advantages of Microwaves
• Supports larger bandwidth and hence more
information is transmitted. For this reason,
microwaves are used for point-to-point
communications.
• Higher data rates are transmitted as the
bandwidth is more.
• Effect of fading gets reduced by using line of sight
propagation and hence microwave
communication is more reliable.
 Advantages of Microwaves
• Antenna size gets reduced, as the frequencies
are higher.
As frequency increases, beamwidth decreases.
Example: For a parabolic antenna,
B = 1400/(D/λ)
D-diameter of antenna in cm
λ- wavelength in cm
B- beamwidth in degrees
Advantages of Microwaves
Advantages of Microwaves
• Low-cost miniature microwave components can
be developed.
• Effective spectrum usage with wide variety of
applications in all available frequency ranges of
operation.
• Power radiated and gain increases
Disadvantages of Microwaves
 A major disadvantage is the nature of
propagation. It propagate in the line of sight
mode. In this mode, microwave frequencies
travel in straightline paths, which are limited by
the horizon.
The max. range of transmission is limited to a
radius of 80km around a transmitter. So for
long distance transmission repeat stations are
required approximately 80km interval
Disadvantages of Microwaves
• Microwave transmission towers are complex
in construction and are highly expensive.
• Electromagnetic interference may occur.
 Applications
 Wireless Communications:
For long distance telephone calls
Bluetooth
Wireless Local Area Networks WLANs
Broadcast auxiliary services
 Military and Radar
Radars to detect the range and speed of the target.
Air traffic control
Navigation of ships
Weather forecasting
 Applications
 Commercial and industrial applications use heat
property of microwaves
Microwave ovens used for reheating and cooking
Food processing applications
Burglar alarms
Drying machines
 Medical Applications
 Limitations of conventional solid state
devices at microwave
1) Interelectrode capacitance
Interelectrode capacitance exist between the
terminals.
we know that the capacitive reactance is given by
Xc = 1/(2Πfc)
So as the input frequency increases, the effective
grid to cathode impedance decreases due to
decrease in reactance of interelectrode capacitance.
At higher frequencies (greater than 100MHz) it
becomes so small that signal is short circuited with
the tube. Also, gain of the device reduces
significantly.
Limitations of conventional solid state
devices at microwave
1) Interelectrode capacitance contd….

• This effect can be minimized by taking smaller

(reducing the area) electrodes and by
increasing distance between them (i.e.
reducing capacitance because C=epsilon*A/d)
therefore by increasing reactance.
 Limitations of conventional solid state
devices at microwave
2) Lead inductance
The effect of lead inductance can be minimized
by making the leads of the transistor shorter and
packed in a low inductance package.
(Inductance does not exist only within inductors. Infact, any wires or
component leads that have current flowing through them create
magnetic fields. When these magnetic fields are created they can
produce an inductive effect. Thus wires or component leads can act
as inductors if they are long enough)
 Limitations of conventional solid
state devices at microwave
3) Transit time
Transit time is the time required for electrons
or other charge carrier to travel between two
electrodes in an electron tube or transistor.
(At microwave frequencies, the transit time is larger compared
to the time period of the microwave signal. ie at higher
frequencies the electron would leave the cathode when the
grid is +ve, but before the electron passes the grid, the grid
voltage might be –ve or even go through several cycles.ie
transit time is large)
 Limitations of conventional solid
state devices at microwave
4) Dielectric loss
Dielectric material is generally different silicon
plastic encapsulation materials used in
microwave devices. At higher frequencies the
losses due to these materials are also prominent.
5) Skin effect
This effect is introduced at higher frequencies.
Due to it, the current flows from the small
sectional area to the surface of the device.