RF and Microwave

Engineering
Dr. Umar Hasan Khan
The Terminated Lossless Transmission Line
• If Γ = 0, maximum power is delivered to the load,
• While no power is delivered for | Γ | = 1.
• The above discussion assumes that the generator is matched, so that
there is no re-reflection of the reflected wave

• Mismatch Scenario
• When the load is mismatched, not all of the available power from the
generator is delivered to the load
• This “loss” is called return loss (RL), and is defined (in dB) as
RL  20 log  dB _ eq(2.38)
The Terminated Lossless Transmission Line
• So that a matched load (Γ = 0) has a return loss of ∞ dB (no reflected
power), while a total reflection (|Γ| = 1) has a return loss of 0 dB (all
incident power is reflected).
• Note that return loss is a nonnegative number for reflection from a
passive network
• If the load is matched to the line, Γ = 0 and the magnitude of the
voltage on the line is |V(z)| = |Vo+|, which is a constant. Such a line is
sometimes said to be flat.
• When the load is mismatched, however, the presence of a reflected
wave leads to standing waves, and the magnitude of the voltage on
the line is not constant
 The Terminated Lossless Transmission Line
V ( z )  Vo (e  jz  e jz ) _ eq (2.36a )
V ( z )  Vo 1  e 2 jz  Vo 1  e 2 jl
• From (2.36a)
V ( z )  Vo 1   e j (  2 l ) _ eq(2.39)
• where l = -z is the positive distance measured from the load at z = 0,
and θ is the phase of the reflection coefficient ( Γ= |Γ|ejθ)
• This result shows that the voltage magnitude oscillates with position z
along the line
• The maximum value occurs when the phase term ej(θ-2βl) = 1 is given
Vmax  Vo (1   ) _ eq(2.40a)
• The maximum value occurs when the phase term ej(θ-2βl) = -1 is given
Vmin  Vo (1   ) _ eq(2.40b)
The Terminated Lossless Transmission Line
• As |Γ| increases, the ratio of Vmax to Vmin increases, so a measure of the
mismatch of a line, called the standing wave ratio (SWR), can be defined as
Vmax 1  
SWR   _ eq(2.41)
Vmin 1  
• This quantity is also known as the voltage standing wave ratio and is
sometimes identified as VSWR
• From (2.41) it is seen that SWR is a real number such that 1 ≤ SWR ≤ ∞,
where SWR = 1 implies a matched load
• From (2.39), it is seen that the distance between two successive voltage
maxima (or minima) is l = 2π/2β = λ/2, while the distance between a
maximum and a minimum is l = π/2β = λ/4, where λ is the wavelength on
the transmission line. V ( z )  V  1   e j (  2 l ) _ eq(2.39)
o
 The Terminated
V Z Z
Lossless

Transmission Line
 o

 L 0
_ eq(2.35)
V
o Z L  Z0
• The reflection coefficient of (2.35) was defined as the ratio of the
reflected to the incident voltage wave amplitudes at the load (l = 0),
but this quantity can be generalized to any point along the line as
follows
• From (2.34a), with z = - l, the ratio of the reflected component to the
incident component is Vo e  jl  2 j l
  j z  j z  (l )   j  l
  ( 0) e _ eq(2.42)
V ( z )  Vo e  Vo e _ eq(2.34a ) Vo e
• where Γ(0) is the reflection coefficient at z = 0, as given by (2.35). This
result is useful when transforming the effect of a load mismatch down
the line
The Terminated Lossless Transmission
V
Line 

V ( z )  Vo (e  jz  e jz ) _ eq(2.36a ) I ( z)  o

(e  jz  e jz ) _ eq(2.36b)
Z0
• We have seen that the real power flow on the line is a constant (for a
lossless line) but that the voltage amplitude, at least for a mismatched
line, is oscillatory with position on the line
• At a distance l = -z from the load, the input impedance seen looking
toward the load is
V (l ) Vo (e jl  e  jl ) 1  e 2 jl
Z in    j l  j l
Z0   2 j l
Z 0 _ eq(2.43)
I (l ) Vo (e  e ) 1  e

• where (2.36a,b) have been used for V(z) and I(z)

Vo Z L  Z 0
   _ eq(2.35)
Vo Z L  Z0
The Terminated Lossless Transmission Line
• A more usable form may be obtained by using (2.35) for Γ in (2.43)
j l  j l
( Z L  Z 0 )e  ( Z L  Z 0 ) e
Z in  Z 0 j l  j l
( Z L  Z 0 )e  ( Z L  Z 0 ) e
Z L cos l  jZ 0 sin  l
Z in  Z 0
Z 0 cos  l  jZ L sin  l
Z L  jZ 0 tan  l
Z in  Z 0 _ eq(2.44)
Z 0  jZ L tan  l
• This is an important result giving the input impedance of a length of
transmission line with an arbitrary load impedance
• This result is the transmission line impedance equation
 The Terminated Lossless Transmission Line:
Special Cases of Lossless Transmission Line
• A number of special cases of lossless terminated transmission lines
will frequently appear in our work, so it is appropriate to consider the
properties of such cases here
• Consider first the transmission line circuit shown in Figure, where a
line is terminated in a short circuit, ZL = 0.
• From (2.35) it is seen that the reflection coefficient for a short circuit
load is Γ = -1; it then follows from (2.41) that the SWR is infinite.

Vo Z L  Z 0 Vmax 1  
   _ eq(2.35) SWR   _ eq (2.41)
Vo Z L  Z0 Vmin 1  
 The Terminated Lossless Transmission Line:
Special Cases of Lossless Transmission Line
• From (2.36) the voltage and current on the line are
V ( z )  V (e  jz  e jz ) _ eq (2.36a )

o
  j z j z  e jz  e  jz

V ( z )  V (e  e )  2 jV sin  z _ eq(2.45a)
o o
sin z 
2j
V  j z
I ( z)  o
(e  e jz ) _ eq (2.36b)  
Z0 V  j z j z 2V e j z
 e  j z
I ( z)  (e e ) 
o o
cos z _ eq(2.45b) cos z 
2
Z0 Z0
• which shows that V = 0 at the load (as expected, for a short circuit),
while the current is a maximum there
• From (2.44), or the ratio V(-l)/I(-l), the input impedance is
Z in  jZ 0 tan  l _ eq(2.45c)
• which is seen to be purely imaginary for any length and to take on all
values between + j∞ and - j∞
The Terminated Lossless Transmission Line:
Special Cases of Lossless Transmission Line
• For example, when l = 0 we have Zin = 0, but for l = λ/4 we have Zin =
∞ (open circuit).
• Equation (2.45c) also shows that the impedance is periodic in l,
repeating for multiples of λ/2
• The voltage (a), current (b), and input reactance (c) for the short
circuited line are plotted in Figure
The Terminated Lossless Transmission Line:
Special Cases of Lossless Transmission Line
• Next consider the open-circuited line shown in Figure 2.7, where ZL = ∞
• Dividing the numerator and denominator of (2.35) by ZL and allowing ZL → ∞
shows that the reflection coefficient for this case is Γ = 1, and the SWR is
again infinite Vo Z L  Z 0
   _ eq(2.35)
• From (2.36) the voltage and current on the line are Vo Z L  Z0

V ( z )  Vo (e  jz  e jz )  2Vo cos z _ eq(2.46a) V ( z )  Vo (e  jz  e jz ) _ eq (2.36a)

Vo  jz  2 jV 
Vo  jz
I ( z)  (e  e jz )  o
sin z _ eq(2.46b) I ( z) 
Z0
(e  e jz ) _ eq( 2.36b)
Z0 Z0
• which shows that now I = 0 at the load, as
expected for an open circuit, while the voltage
is a maximum
The Terminated Lossless Transmission Line:
Special Cases of Lossless Transmission Line
• The input impedance is
Z in   jZ 0 cot  l _ eq(2.46c)
• which is also purely imaginary for any length l
• The voltage (a), current (b), and input reactance (c) of the open-
circuited line are plotted in Figure
The Terminated Lossless Transmission Line:
Special Cases of Lossless Transmission Line Z in  Z 0
Z L  jZ 0 tan l
_ eq (2.44)
Z 0  jZ L tan l
• Now consider terminated transmission lines with some special lengths.
If l = λ/2, (2.44) shows that Z in  Z L _ eq(2.47)
• meaning that a half-wavelength line (or any multiple of λ/2) does not
alter or transform the load impedance, regardless of its characteristic
impedance
• If the line is a quarter-wavelength long or, more generally, l = λ/4 + nλ/2,
for n = 1, 2, 3, . . . , (2.44) shows that the2 input impedance is given by
Z0
Z in  _ eq(2.48)
ZL
• Such a line is known as a quarter-wave transformer because it has the
effect of transforming the load impedance in an inverse manner,
depending on the characteristic impedance of the line
The Terminated Lossless Transmission Line:
Special Cases of Lossless Transmission Line
• Next consider a transmission line of characteristic impedance Z0
feeding a line of different characteristic impedance, Z1, as shown in
Figure
• If the load line is infinitely long, or if it is terminated in its own
characteristic impedance, so that there are no reflections from its far
end, then the input impedance seen by the feed line is Z1, so that the
reflection coefficient Γ is
Z1  Z 0
 _ eq(2.49)
Z1  Z 0
The Terminated Lossless Transmission Line:
Special Cases of Lossless Transmission Line
• Not all of the incident wave is reflected; some is transmitted onto the
second line with a voltage amplitude given by a transmission coefficient
• From (2.36a) the voltage for z < 0 is
V ( z )  Vo (e  jz  e jz ), z  0 _ eq(2.50a )
• where Vo+ is the amplitude of the incident voltage wave on the feed line
• The voltage wave for z > 0, in the absence of reflections, is outgoing only
and can be written as
V ( z )  Vo e  jz , z  0 _ eq(2.50b)
The Terminated Lossless Transmission Line:
Special Cases of Lossless Transmission Line
• Equating these voltages at z = 0 gives the transmission coefficient, T ,
as Z1  Z 0 2 Z1
  1   1  _ eq(2.51)
Z 1  Z 0 Z1  Z 0
• The transmission coefficient between two points in a circuit is often
expressed in dB as the insertion loss, IL,
IL  20 log  dB _ eq(2.52)