INTRODUCTION TO

MICROWAVES

ECE 522F: LESSON 1

FACILITATOR: Engr. Ireene P. Valencia
TOPIC LEARNING OUTCOME
(Lessons 1-3)
•TLO 1: Understand fundamental
concepts in microwave
communications system and
describe the growing applications
for microwaves communications
engineering.
Definition:
Microwaves are the ultrahigh,
superhigh, and extremely high
frequencies directly above the lower
frequency ranges where most radio
communication now takes place and
below the optical frequencies that
cover infrared, visible, and ultraviolet
light.
FREQUENCY SPECTRUM
MICROWAVE BAND
Letter
Frequency range Wavelength range
Designation
L band 1 to 2 GHz 15 cm to 30 cm
S band 2 to 4 GHz 7.5 cm to 15 cm
C band 4 to 8 GHz 3.75 cm to 7.5 cm
X band 8 to 12 GHz 25 mm to 37.5 mm
Ku band 12 to 18 GHz 16.7 mm to 25 mm
K band 18 to 26.5 GHz 11.3 mm to 16.7 mm
Ka band 26.5 to 40 GHz 5.0 mm to 11.3 mm
Q band 33 to 50 GHz 6.0 mm to 9.0 mm
40 to 60 GHz 5.0 mm to 7.5 mm
V band 50 to 75 GHz 4.0 mm to 6.0 mm
W band 75 to 110 GHz 2.7 mm to 4.0 mm
F band 90 to 140 GHz 2.1 mm to 3.3 mm
D band 110 to 170 GHz 1.8 mm to 2.7 mm
 MICROWAVE FREQUENCIES
Microwaves are electromagnetic
waves having wavelength in the
micron range.
Microwave frequencies range from 1
GHz to 108 GHz.
microwaves : 3-30 GHz
millimeter waves: 30-300 GHz
MICROWAVE PROPERTIES
1. High bandwidth
2. Effect of the ionosphere
3. Line-of-sight transmission/reception
4. Electromagnetic noise characteristics
5. Antenna gain and directivity -
Frequency versus refraction and distance
Space wave propagation

• Radio horizon is 1/3 farther than the LOS of the

Microwave is a radiowave
operating in the frequency
3-30GHz that requires printed
circuit components instead of
conventional lumped
components.
Printed Circuit Components
Monolithic Microwave IC
Hybrid RFIC
Why can’t lumped components
be used for microwave circuits?

SKIN EFFECT:
◼ The concept that HF energy travels only
on the outside skin of a conductor and
does not penetrate into it any great
distance
MICROWAVE CENTRIFUGAL
FORCE:
◼ The force that keeps the energy from
penetrating the surface of the transmission
line and instead makes it follow a path
along the skin of the line rather than down
into the entire cross-sectional area, as in
LF circuits.
SKIN DEPTH
At 10 GHz: Conductor skin depth:
◼ Copper: 0.000025 inch
◼ Aluminun: 0.000031 inch
◼ Silver: 0.000023 inch
◼ Gold: 0.000019 inch
At 10 GHz: Microwave circuit board with Cu
on it: 0.0014 inch
DECIBEL (dB):

◼ A relative term with no units, and is the

ratio of two powers (or voltages).
◼ The relative value can be positive (gain) or
negative (loss).
Characteristic Impedance
◼ The characteristic impedance (Z0) of a
transmission line is the resistance it would
exhibit if it were infinite in length.
◼ Characteristic impedance is purely a
function of the capacitance and inductance
distributed along the line’s length, and
would exist even if the dielectric were
perfect (infinite parallel resistance) and the
wires superconducting (zero series
resistance).
CHARACTERISTIC IMPEDANCE

An impedance (in ohms) that determines the

flow of HF energy in a system or through a
transmission line. It “characterizes” the
system or transmission line at the
frequencies with which it is designed to
work.
◼ The characteristic impedance most often
used for HF application is 50 ohms
What is the practical significance of the
characteristic impedance?

◼ The practical significance is that no matter

how long or short the transmission line, if
the transmitter impedance is matched to
the characteristic impedance of the line
and the load is matched to the
characteristic impedance, all the power
from the transmitter transfers to the load
without reflecting back.
Standing Wave Ratio
◼ Two opposing waves combine to form a
standing wave.
◼ the ratio of the amplitude of a partial
standing wave at an anti-node (maximum)
to the amplitude at an adjacent node
(minimum), in an electrical transmission
line.
VOLTAGE STANDING WAVE RATIO
(VSWR):
◼ A measure of match or mismatch between
devices or between the transmission line
and the load that was at its output.
◼ A number between 1 and infinity.
◼ The best value for SWR is 1:1. For
example, the VSWR value 1.2:1 denotes a
maximum standing wave amplitude that is
1.2 times greater than the minimum
standing wave value
RETURN LOSS:
◼ Indicates the level of power being reflected
from a device due to a mismatch.
REFLECTION COEFICIENT:
◼ The percentage of power reflected from a
mismatch at the end of a transmission line
or at the input or output of a circuit.
◼ For perfect match condition: 0%
◼ For open circuit or short circuit: 100%
Multiple Access

◼ Bydefinition, a multiple access

technique enables two or more
users to simultaneously share
some finite piece of radio
spectrum.
TIME DIVISION MULTIPLE ACCESS (TDMA)
A time-sharing scheme in which stations are
allocated specific time slots in which to
operate.
FREQUENCY DIVISION MULTIPLE ACCESS
(FDMA)
◼ Each station in the FDMA case is on all the
time but is assigned certain frequencies in
which to operate.
CODE DIVISION MULTIPLE ACCESS (CDMA)
◼ The scheme used for spread spectrum secure
communications systems. CDMA uses chips,
which are specific times and frequencies.
THE END