Cavity Resonators and Passive components

Cavity Resonators
A cavity resonator is a waveguide like device that acts as a high-Q parallel resonant circuit. A
simple cavity resonator can be formed with a short piece of waveguide one-half wavelength
long. The ends are closed. Energy is coupled into the cavity with a coaxial probe at the centre,
as shown in the side view in the following figure 1 and 2. When microwave energy is injected
into the cavity, the signal bounces off the shorted ends of the waveguide and reflects back
toward the probe. Because the probe is located one-quarter wavelength from each shorted
end, the reflected signal reinforces the signal at the probe. The result is that the signal
bounces back and forth off the shorted ends. If the signal is removed, the wave continues to
bounce back and forth until losses cause it to die out.

Figure 1

This effect is pronounced at a frequency where the length of the waveguide is exactly one-
half wavelength. At that frequency, the cavity is said to resonate and acts as a parallel
resonant circuit. A brief burst of energy applied to the probe will make the cavity oscillate;
the oscillation continues until losses cause it to die out. Cavities such as this have extremely
high Q, as high as 30,000. For this reason, they are commonly used to create resonant circuits
and filters at microwave frequencies.

Figure 2
Directional Couplers
One of the most commonly used waveguide components is the directional coupler.
Directional couplers are 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. The directional coupler
in Fig. 3 is simply a short segment of waveguide with coupling joints that are designed to be
inserted into a longer run of waveguide between a transmitter and an antenna or between
some source and a load. A similar section of a waveguide is physically attached to this short
segment of line. It is terminated at one end, and the other end is bent away at a 90° angle.
The bent section is designed to attach to a microwave power meter or an SWR meter. The
bent section is coupled to the straight section by two holes (X and Y) that are one-quarter
wavelength apart at the frequency of operation. Some of the microwave energy passes
through the holes in the straight section into the bent section. The amount of coupling
between the two sections depends on the size of the holes.

Figure 3
If energy from the source at the left moves through the waveguide from left to right,
microwave energy passes through hole X into the bent section. The energy splits in half.
Part of the energy goes to the left, where it is absorbed by the terminator; the other half
moves to the right toward hole Y. This is indicated by the dashed lines. Additional energy from
the straight section enters hole Y. It, too, splits into two equal components, one going to the
left and the other going to the right. These components are indicated by the solid lines. The
energy moving from hole Y to the left toward hole X in the curved section cancels the energy
moving from hole X to Y. The signal moving from hole Y to hole X travels a total distance of
one-half wavelength or 180°, so it is out of phase with the signal at hole X. But between Y and
X, the signals are exactly out of phase and equal in amplitude, so they cancel. Any small
residual signal moving to the left is absorbed by the terminator. The remaining signal moves
on to the power or SWR meter.

The term directional coupler derives from the operation of the device. A portion of the energy
of signals moving from left to right will be sampled and measured. Any signal entering from
the right and moving to the left will simply be absorbed by the terminator; none will pass on
to the meter.

The exact amount of signal extracted is determined by the coupling factor C, which is
determined by the familiar formula for power ratio:
Circulators
A circulator is a three-port microwave device used for coupling energy in only one direction
around a closed loop. A schematic diagram of a circulator is shown in Fig. 4. Microwave energy
applied to port 1 is passed to port 2 with only minor attenuation; however, the signal will be
greatly attenuated on its way to port 3. The loss from port 1 to port 3 is usually 20 dB or more.
A signal applied to port 2 will be passed with little attenuation to port 3, but little or none will
reach port 1.
The primary application of a circulator is as a diplexer, which allows a single antenna to be
shared by a transmitter and receiver.

Figure 4: Circulator

Isolators
Isolators are variations of circulators, but they have one input and one output. That is, they
are configured like the circulator diagrammed in Fig. 16-35, but only ports 1 and 2 are used.
An input to port 1 is passed to port 2 with little attenuation. Any reflected energy, as would
occur with an SWR higher than 1, is not coupled back into port 1. Isolators are often used in
situations where a mismatch, or the lack of a proper load, could cause reflection so large as
to damage the source.