MICROWAVES

INTRODUCTION
Microwaves are electromagnetic waves with wavelengths ranging from as
long as one meter to as short as one millimeter, or , with frequencies between 500
MHz and 100 GHz.[It can be even up to 300 G.Hz] .
Electromagnetic waves longer than microwaves ((lower frequency) are called
"Radio waves". Electromagnetic radiation with shorter wavelengths may be called
"millimeter waves".
MICROWAVES IN COMMUNICATIONS:
Microwave communication is the transmission of signals via radio using a series
of microwave towers. Microwave communication is known as a form of line of sight
communication, because there must be nothing obstructing the transmission of data
between these towers for signals to be properly sent and received.
The technology used for microwave communication was developed in the
early 1940s by Western Union. The first microwave message was sent in 1945 from
towers located in New York and Philadelphia. After this successful attempt, microwave
communication became the most commonly used data transmission method for
telecommunications service providers. Microwave communication takes place both
analog and digital formats. While digital is the most advanced form of microwave
communication, both analog and digital methods gives certain benefits for the users.
Analog microwave communication may be most economical for use when compared to
digital communication. Digital microwave communication utilizes more advanced, more
reliable technology.

Typically, microwaves are used in television news to transmit a signal from a

remote location to a television station. Most satellite communication systems operate in
the C, X, Ka, or Ku bands of the microwave spectrum. These frequencies allow large
bandwidth while avoiding the crowded UHF frequencies and staying below the
atmospheric absorption of EHF frequencies. Satellite TV either operates in the C band for
1

the traditional large dish fixed satellite service or Ku band for direct-broadcast satellite.
Military communications run primarily over X or Ku-band links.
Radar uses microwave radiation to detect the range, speed, and other
characteristics of remote objects. Most of the radio astronomy systems uses microwaves.
MICROWAVE FREQUENCY BANDS
The various bands of the Microwave region are shown in the following table.
S.No
1

Type of Band
L band

Frequency Range
1 to 2 GHz

2
3

S band
C band

2 to 4 GHz
4 to 8 GHz

X band

8 to 12 GHz

Ku band

12 to 18 GHz

K band

18 to 26.5 GHz

Ka band

26.5 to 40 GHz

Q band

33 to 50 GHz

U band

40 to 60 GHz

10

V band

50 to 75 GHz

11

E band

60 to 90 GHz

12

W band

7 5 to 110 GHz

13

F band

90 to 140 GHz

14

D band

110 to 170 GHz

MICROWAVE PROPERTIES:
The Microwaves behaves similar to light rays. They exhibit the following properties.
(i)They can be focused with lenses made of wax or paraffin
(ii) They can be refracted with prisms of wax or paraffin materials.
(iii) They can be reflected from large, plane sheets of metal

(iv) Microwaves can be diffracted by slits in metal surfaces and interferometers can be
constructed for their use.
(v) Microwaves can pass through dry wood whereas the light waves cannot pass through.
(vi) Microwaves propagate in free space, in various materials, and in waveguides.
(vii) Microwaves undergo polarization with paraffin crystals.
(viii) Microwaves also exhibit total internal reflection.
(ix) Microwave radiation (at 2450 MHz) is non-ionizing
(x) Microwaves also cause heating
MICROWAVE GENERATION
A klystron tube is a special type of vacuum tube invented in 1937 by the Varian
brothers. A klystron tube is used to produce microwave energy. In this application, it
works similar to an organ pipe. When the air in the organ tube vibrates, the organ tube
emits sound energy of a specific frequency that we hear as a single note. When the
electrons in the klystron tube vibrate, the klystron tube emits high frequency microwave
energy that can be detected by a radar receiver.
There are two types of klystrons tubes in use: (i) The floating drift and (ii) The Reflex
Klystron.
REFLEX KLYSTRON

Reflex klystrons were developed in 1940 by the Soviet engineers N. D.

Deviatkov, E. N. Daniltsev , and I. V. Piskunov, working as a group, and, independently,
by the Soviet engineer V. F. Kovalenko.
The Reflex Klystron is a single cavity variable frequency microwave
generator oscillator. It has low power and low efficiency. The principle of the Reflex
klystron is that , the electron beam, having passed through the resonator gap, arrives at
the decelerating field of the reflector, to be repelled by the field and pass through the
resonator gap in the opposite direction .During the first transit through the gap, the
ultrahigh frequency electric field of the gap modulates the electron velocities. The second
time, moving in the opposite direction, the electrons arrive at the gap grouped in bunches.

The ultrahigh frequency field in the gap retards these bunches and converts some of their
kinetic energy to the energy of ultrahigh-frequency oscillations. This is nothing but the
Microwave energy.
Construction: The Reflex Klystron consists of electron gun, filament surrounded by a
cathode and a focusing electrode at cathode potential. The electron beam emitted from
the cathode is accelerated by the Grid and passed through the anode cavity to the repeller
space between the anode cavity and repeller electrode as shown in figure.1.
Working: The electron beam from the cathode is velocity modulated by the cavity gap
voltage.Due to this some of the electrons accelerates and enters the repeller space with a
greater velocity than the velocity electrons with unchanged velocity.Some of the electrons
decelerates and enters the repeller space with less velocity.In the repeller region all the
electrons are bunched together and pass through the cavity gap for every one cycle as
shown in figure 2. During the returning path the bunched electrons pass the gap during
the negative cycle and deliver the kinetic energy to the electromagnetic energy of the
field in the anode cavity.The output is taken from the anode cavity.

Reflex klystrons are the most widely used ultrahigh-frequency device. They are
manufactured for operation in the decimeter, centimeter, and millimeter wave bands.
Their output power ranges from 5 mW to 5 W. The efficiency of the Reflex Klystron
ranges from 20% to 30%. Reflex klystrons are used as heterodynes in superheterodyne
radio receivers, as driving oscillators in radio transmitters, as low-power oscillators in
radar, in radio navigation.
APPLICATIONS OF MICROWAVES :
Microwaves find applications in various fields . They are
(1) Microwaves are used in RADAR communications.
(2) Microwave ovens are used for cooking the food at a very faster rate.(2.45G.Hz,600W)
(3 ) Microwave heating is used in rubber, plastic, paper industries for drying and curing
Products and food processing industries.
(4) Microwaves can be used to transmit power over long distances
(5) Microwave radiation is used in electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR or ESR)
Spectroscopy
(6) Used in long distance communications like, Telephone networks, T.V Networks,
Telemetry etc...
(7) Microwaves are used in Microstrip and disk filters, delay lines, and phase shifters.
(8) Microwaves are used in Mining industries ,for tunneling and breaking rocks etc..
(9) Used in Bio-medical applications (Diathermy for localized superficial heating)
(10) Microwaves are used in tumor detection based medical applications.