Chapter 1: Review of principle and Analysis of

Wave Guide

1 Sem. II, 2016/17 Microwave Devices and Systems By Waltengus 1

Outline

 Introduction
 Wave Guide Principles and Analysis
 Types and Mode Classification

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 Principles and Analysis of Waveguides
 A Hollow metallic tube of uniform cross section for transmitting
electromagnetic waves by successive reflections from the inner
walls of the tube is called waveguide
 Waveguides may be used to carry energy between pieces
of equipment or over longer distances to carry transmitter power
to an antenna or microwave signals from an antenna to a
receiver
 Waveguides are practical only for signals of extremely high
frequency, where the wavelength approaches the cross-sectional
dimensions of the waveguide.
 Below such frequencies, waveguides are useless as electrical
transmission lines.
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 Continued
 Waveguides will only carry or propagate signals above a
certain frequency, known as the cut-off frequency
 Below this the waveguide is not able to carry the signals
 This is obviously an important parameter, and one of the
most basic specifications for its operation
Often the insides of waveguides are plated with silver to
reduce resistance and transmission losses

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 Continued
The angles of incidence and reflection depend on the
operating frequency.
At high frequencies, the angle is large and the path between
the opposite walls is relatively long.
As the operating frequency decreases, the angle also
decreases and the path between the sides shortens.
When the operating frequency reaches the cutoff frequency
of the waveguide, the signal bounces back and forth between
the sidewalls of the waveguide.
 No energy is propagated.

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 Continued
Figure 1: Wave paths in a waveguide at various frequencies

(a) High frequency

(b) Medium frequency
(c) Low frequency
(d) Cut off frequency

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 Uses
 To reduce attenuation loss
 High frequencies
High power
 Can operate only above certain frequencies
Acts as a High-pass filter

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Waveguide Disadvantages
 Physical size is the primary lower-frequency limitation of waveguides
 The width of a waveguide must be approximately a half wavelength at the
frequency of the wave to be transported
 This makes the use of waveguides at frequencies below 300 Mega hertz
increasingly impractical
 The lower frequency range of any system using waveguides is limited by the
physical dimensions of the waveguides
 Waveguides are difficult to install because of their rigid, hollow-pipe
shape
 Special couplings at the joints are required to assure proper operation
 Also, the inside surfaces of waveguides are often plated with silver or gold to
reduce skin effect losses
 These requirements increase the costs and decrease the practicality of
waveguide systems at any other than microwave frequencies

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Mode Of Propagation
 An electromagnetic energy to be carried by a waveguide is injected
into one end of the waveguide.
The electric and magnetic fields associated with the signal bounce
off the inside walls back and forth as it progresses down the
waveguide
 In order to determine the EM field configuration within the
waveguide,
 Maxwell's equations should be solved subject to appropriate
boundary conditions at the walls of the guide
Such solutions give rise to a number of field configurations.
Each configuration is known as a mode
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 Continued
The following are the d/t modes possible in a waveguide system

1. Transverse Electro Magnetic (TEM) wave:

The electric field, E and the magnetic field, H are oriented

transverse to the direction of propagation of wave

Ez= 0 and Hz= 0

No cut-off frequency
 TEM wave cannot propagate within a hollow pipe
 lacks an axial conductor to carry current

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 Continued
Transverse Electric (TE) wave:
Here only the electric field is purely transverse to the direction of
propagation and the magnetic field is not purely transverse. (i.e.)
Ez= 0, Hz ≠ 0.
Transverse Magnetic (TM) wave:
Here only magnetic field is transverse to the direction of propagation
and the electric field is not purely transverse. (i.e.)
Ez ≠ 0, Hz= 0
Hybrid wave:
Here neither electric nor magnetic fields are purely transverse to the
direction of propagation. (i.e.) Ez ≠ 0, Hz ≠ 0

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 Rectangular Waveguides
 A waveguide having rectangular cross section is known as
Rectangular waveguide
 Propagation modes are TM and TE but not TEM since only one
conductor is present
 It is a standard convention to have the longest side of the waveguide along
x-axis [a (width) > b (length)]

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 Continued
 The order of the mode refers to the field configuration in the guide,
and is given by m and n integer subscripts, TEmn and TMmn.
 The m subscript corresponds to the number of half-wave
variations of the field in the x direction, and
 The n subscript is the number of half-wave variations in the y
direction
Applications
 High-power systems
 Millimeter wave applications
 Satellite systems
 Precision test applications

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 It consists of a hollow, round (circular cross section) metal
pipe that supports TE and TM waveguide modes.

Applications
 Used in transmission of circularly polarized waves, to
connect components having circular cross-section to
rectangular waveguide

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 The structure of such a circular waveguide with inner radius a, is
shown below:

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 It is formed with a rectangular ridged projecting inward from
one or both of the wide walls in a rectangular waveguide.
 Ridged is used to concentrate the electric field across the
ridge and to lower the cutoff frequency of TE mode.

Applications
 Attractive for UHF and low microwave ranges

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 Continued

Ridged Waveguide Using Singled Ridged Waveguide

Metal Bar

Double Ridged Waveguide

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 It is used for bends, twists or in applications where certain
criteria may not be fulfilled by normal waveguides.
 Figure 1.2 below shows some of the flexible waveguides:

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 Continued

 The H bend of Figure (a) is used to turn a 90° corner.

 The E bend Figure (b) also completes a 90° turn in either an
upward or downward direction.
 The twist of Figure (c) is used to effect a shift in the
polarization of the wave.

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Critical (cut-off) frequency, fc (Hz)
 the lowest frequency for which a mode will propagate in a
waveguide.
Critical (cut-off) wavelength, λc (m/cycle)
 the largest wavelength that can propagate in the waveguide
without any minimum attenuation
Group velocity (vg, m/s)
 The velocity at which a wave propagates.
 Refers to the velocity of a group of waves.
 It is also the velocity at which information signals or energy
is propagated

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 Continued

Phase velocity (vp, m/s)

 The velocity at which the wave changes phase.

 It is the apparent velocity of the wave (i.e.: max electric
intensity point).
 vp always equal to or greater than vg (vp≥ vg).
 It may exceed the velocity of light (velocity in free space)

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 Dominant mode (mode with lowest cutoff frequency) for rectangular
waveguide is TE
 A waveguide acts as a high-pass filter in that it passes only those
frequencies above the cutoff frequency
 The cutoff frequency is given by

2 2 2 2
1 m n c m n
fcmn          
2   a   b  2 r  r  a   b 

1 1 1 1 c
u   
  o  r  o r  o o r r r r

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 c
vg v p  c 2
g  vp
f f
2
c
2
g  o
c
o
g  c ( g ) c
1   fc f 
2 vp  
o 1   fc f 
2

 
2
fc
  u 1 
f

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 Continued
c c
fc   ( forTE )
2a c
o
Z o  377 (TM mod e)
g
377 g
Zo   377 (TE mod e)
1   fc f  o
2

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 Continued
Exercise 1 For a rectangular waveguide with a width of 3cm and a
desired frequency of operation of 6GHz (for dominant mode),
determine:
a) Cut-off frequency
b) Cut-off wavelength
c) Group velocity
d) Phase velocity
e) Propagation wavelength in the waveguide
f) Characteristic impedance

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Thanks