1947

PROCEEDINGS OF THE I.R.E.

783

r-=+/2z(z-0.3). The cone, with a total included angle A similar reflector can be made from the plate and of 109.5 degrees, is spaced 0.15 centimeter from the hy- cylinder by choosing the cylinder diameter and voltage perboloid and operated at -850 volts. such that the axial potential matches that given by the equation in the above paragraph at three points: z= 0, 0.031, and 0.062 centimeter. This yields a diameter of 0.220 centimeter and a potential of -945 volts for the cylinider, thus giving for the axial potential 4 = 1625-25 70 tanh 12z. Similarly, matching the axial potential of the hemisphere and plane at three points gives

b = 1625 +

4110, n-=1

(0 P097
.9
I

Fig. 9-Comparison of the axial potential for three different geometries.

where the hemisphere radius and voltage are 0.097 centimeter and -430 volts, respectively. Fig. 9 shows the close agreement of the axial potential distribution for the three geometries throughout the range traversed by the electrons.

Properties of Ridge Wave

SEYMOUR B.

Guide*

COHNt,

MEMBER, I.R.E.

Summary-Equations and curves giving cutoff frequency and impedance are presented for rectangular wave guide having a rectangular ridge projecting inward from one or both sides. It is shown that ridge wave guide has a lower cutoff frequency;and impedance and greater higher-mode separation than a plain rectangular wave guide of the same width and height. The cutoff frequency equation is fairly accurate for any practical cross section. The impedance equation is strictly accurate only for an extremely thin cross section. Values found by the use of this equation have, however, been found to check experimental values very closely. A number of uses for this type of wave guide are suggested.

can be easily obtained between the cutoff frequencies of the TE1o and TE20 modes, and six to one or more between those of the TE,o and TE30 modes. The attenuation is several times as great as that for ordinary wave

I. APPLICATIONS HE CROSS-SECTIONAL shape of ridge wave r guide is shown in Fig. 1. This type of wave guide is briefly described in a text by Ramo and Whinnery,' where a simple method of calculating the cutoff frequency is given. That method is used in this paper. The lowered cutoff frequency, lowered impedance, and wide bandwidth free from high-mode interference obtainable with ridge wave guide make it useful in many ways. A few uses are listed below: (a) It is useful as transmission wave guide, where a wide frequency range must be covered, and where only the fundamental mode can be tolerated. It will be shown that a frequency range of four to one or more
* Decimal classification: RI 18.2. Original manuscript received by the Institute, May 9, 1946. t Cruft Laboratory, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. The work reported in this paper was done at the Radio Research Laboratory under contract with the Office of Scientific Research and Development, National Defense Research Committee, Division 15. 1 S. Ramo and J. R. Whinnery, "Fields and Waves in Modern Radio,"n John Wiley and Sons, New York, N. Y.; 1944.

.~~~~~~
1

~
-

~~~~~~~~~~

i2 ~~~~~~~~a a'
(a)

2b2
I l_

2b I

a2 -,-J at

(b)
Fig. 1-Parameters for single-ridge (a) and double-ridge (b) waveguide cross-sections.

guide, but is still much less than for ordinary coaxial cable. The reduced cutoff frequency of ridge wave guide also permits a compact cross section.

784

PROCEEDINGS OF THE I.R.E.

A ugust

(2) 2)x 01 02 where kc = 2a1 is the cutoff wavelength of the guide without the ridge, and where 01 and 02 are values satisfying (1). The TE1i-mode cutoff wavelength is plotted in Figs. 2 and 3 for a wide variety of ridge shapes in guide having cross-section ratios of b1/a1=0.136 ("toll-ticket" wave guide, 21 Xi inch) and 0.500, respectively. The ordinate X,'/2aj=X,'//X=f,/f/' is the ratio of cutoff wavelength with the ridge to that without the ridge. The abscissa a2/a1 is the ratio of ridge width to guide width. Each solid curve corresponds to a constant value of b2/bi. As an example, if a particular ridge wave guide has bi/a1 =0.5, a2/a1=0.4, and b2/b1=0.1, then from Fig. 3, )X,'//X,=f,/f/'=2.6. If the cutoff frequency without the ridge is 2600 megacycles, the cutoff frequency with the ridge will be 1000 megacycles. On comparing Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, it will be seen that there is not a great deal of difference between the corresponding constant b2/b, curves. The only reason there is any difference is the size of the discontinuity susceptance term, Bc!Yoi, which is small for b1/ai=0.136, and fairly large for bl/al=0.5. If b1/a1 has a value different from 0.136, or 0.5, Figs. 2 and 3 may still be used with II. DESIGN DATA little error. Fig. 2 should be used for values of bl/a, beThe design equations use the notation of Fig. 1. a1, tween zero and about one-third, and Fig. 3 should be a2, b1, and b2 are inside dimensions in centimeters. 01 and used for values of bi/a, in the vicinity of 0.5. 02 are the electrical phase lengths in terms of the cutoff The characteristic impedance at infinite frequency for wavelength in free space the TE1o mode is given by
= x1a

(b) Ridge wave guide has been used successfully as matching or transition elements in wave-guide to coaxial junctions. In one type of junction, a quarterwavelength section of ridge wave guide serves as a matching transformer from the impedance of the guide (utoll-ticket" wave guide, 21Xi-inch cross section) to the 50-ohm coaxial cable. In another junction, a tapered length of ridge wave guide gives a gradual match from standard 3Xli-inch rectangular wave guide to a 50ohm coaxial line.2 (c) Various forms of ridge wave guide are useful also as filter elements, cavity elements, cavity terminations, etc. Wherever an element of line is needed having reduced cutoff frequency, reduced impedance, or wide mode separation, ridge wave guide provides a simple solution. (d) The attenuation formula for ridge guide (8) shows that the attenuation may be made very high by making a, and Z0O, as small as possible. If the guide, or just the ridges, are made of steel instead of copper, the attenuation may be made about 1000 times greater than that for ordinary copper wave guide without ridges. H. C. Early of the Radio Research Laboratory has made use of a length of such wave guide tapered to standard 3 X 1i-inch wave guide in the design of a broadband matched load.",4 The total length of the load and taper is only four feet. (e) Another application, due to Early, is in a wideband wattmeter,3 in which a wave guide having nearly constant impedance over a wide band is required.

Equation (1) is accurate if proximity effects are taken fully into account in calculating B,. In the curves of this paper, proximity effects are neglected, but the results are highly accurate so long as (a,-a2/2) >bi. In terms of 01 and 02, Xc is given by
( 900

eg 02-

a/2
Xc,0

X 360)

zooo

120ir2b2
X('{i +b2 0t1 X,.'.sin 02 + -COS 02 tan-

(3)4

where XO is the wavelength in free space at the ridgeguide cutoff frequency. The cutoff of the TE1o mode occurs when the low- If Zo0. and the cutoff frequency f' are known, the charest root of the following equation is satisfied: acteristic impedance at any frequency f is obtained by multiplying Z00o by the right-hand side of (4). Bc cot 01 - y bi Yol Zo xg1 (1)' (4) tan 02 b2 000 x (f) /1 B, is the equivalent susceptance introduced by the discontinuities in the cross-section, as explained in ApThe guide wavelength is also obtained by multiplying pendix 1.6 S. B. Cohn, "Design of simple broad-band wave guide-to-coaxial the space wavelength at the same frequency by the right-hand side of (4). line junction," to be published in PROC. I.R.E. 3 H. C. Early, "A wide-band wattmeter for wave guide," PRoc. Equation (4) is plotted in Fig. 4. I.R.E., vol. 34, pp. 803-807; October, 1946. ' H. C. Early, "A wide-band directional coupler for wave guide," Constant ZOow curves are plotted in Figs. 2 and 3 as PROC. I.R.E., vol. 34, pp. 883-887; November, 1946. dashed lines. In the example cited above, the impedance ' (1), (3), (6), and (8) are derived in the appendix. ' B. may be calculated from the curves in a paper by J. R. Whin- of a guide having b1/a, = 0.5, a2/a1 = 0.4, b2/b1 = 0. 1, and nery and H. W. Jamieson, "Equivalent circuits for discontinuities in = 2.6 would be 47 ohms at infinite frequency. At transmission lines," PROC. I.R.E., vol. 32, pp. 98-116; February, xc'/ one and one-half times the cutoff frequency, the im1944.
l

1947

Cohn: Properties of Ridge Wave Guide

785

pedance is multiplied by the factor 1.34, found from Fig. 4, which gives Zo=47X1.34=63 ohms. Equation (3) does not take the discontinuity susceptance fully into account, and consequently it is truly accurate only if bi/a, is small. In addition to this, it has

bilal
0.5

For example, if bl/al=0.2, b2/bj=0.3, and a2/ai=0.5, Fig. 2 gives Zo=28 ohms for bl/al=0.136. Therefore,
b2

-a-

ZOOD

|5ti -"C. 4

zO " IoX

'111.
%.

$~4

r<
u

%.

-4-.

tj

3
(*2.~~~~~~~~~~.

*411.) 2.

4P?

1I I I .1 ^ F"ll 'ON X I II IX>} 1 -P 1 1 TiUI Itt I s TI 0.6 0.8 0.4 0.2

a2/e4

1.4
Fig. 3-Characteristic impedance and cutoff wavelength of ridge wave guide (bl/a, = 0.5).
14.0
--.

Fig. 2-Characteristic impedance and cutoff wavelength of ridge wave guide (bil/a = 0.136).

the same restrictions as (1). Experiments have given excellent checks of Fig. 2 (b1/a1=0.136), while for b1/a1 =0.5 the impedance for the above example was found experimentally to be about 35 to 40 ohms. To obtain a zo 50-ohm impedance, b2/b1 has to be increased from 0.1 to zo w about 0.133 (see Part III, below). But even for bl/a, =0.5 (3) is a useful approximation, and gives a good starting point in design work. X If bl/a, is not equal to 0.136 or 0.5, ZOOO may still be de- -iL termined very closely from Figs. 2 -and 3. For values of bi/a1 between about zero and one-third, multiply values of Zo. on Fig. 2 by the scale factor

T,7
0

3.5 ____

___- _
-I

)/

3.0

: __ __ __ __--

-:
1.02 1.03 t.05 1.07 1.10 1.15 1.20 1.30 I .40 1.50 1.70 2 00

Z
5.076 1.174 3.281 2.811 2.101 2.025 1.808 1.566 1.129 1.341 1.236 1.155 1.092 1.060 1.011 .026
I

2.5
2.0
.5

3.00 3.50 4.50

bl/al
0.136 For values of bl/a, between about one-third and twothirds, multiply values on Fig. 3 by

1.0

I .0

1.5

2.0
f/ f

2. 5

3.0

fc

Fig. 4-Function relating characteristic impedance and guide wavelength to frequency.

786

PROCEEDINGS OF THE I.R.E.

August

for bl/ai =0.2, Zo =28 XO.2/0.136 =41.1 ohms. The when a2/a, is one-half, fa'l/fC3 is a maximum, and the characteristic impedance was checked experimentally greatest separation of the TEjo and TE30 cutoff frefor a cross section having bl/a,= , and was found to be quencies is obtained. It is easily shown that, for a2/a, fc3'/fc3 increases as b2/b, decreases, and in the limit ap. ... .1 2'S'tAi 'flF1m 7, '@1 proaches 4/3. The even TEmo-mode cutoffs are given by solutions of the following equation in which the discontinuity susI. ceptance term has been neglected: 1.1 02 = tan-' (- n tan 01) (6)5 fC2 0. where n=bi/b2. For the TE20 mode, the 02 root lies between 90 and 180 degrees for 0 <01 . 90 degrees, and the 0.2 02 root between 0 and 90 degrees for 90 iegrees <., < 180 degrees. The cutoff frequency is given by 0.4 fc21 01 + 02 0.2

i.1#1

fc2
0
0.1
U.Z

180

(7)

This is plotted in Fig. 5 as a function of a2/a, for several values of b2/b,. The maximum value off,2'/f,2 occurs between a2/al,= and , depending upon b2lb,. As b2/b, is made vanishingly small, the maximum value of fc2'/fc2 approaches 3/2 at a,/a2 = 3* Figs. 2, 3, and 5 show that when a wide frequency I band free from TE20 and TE30 modes is desired, the ridge width should be between about " and 2 of the total ~ca guide width. fCs The formulas and curves for a single ridge in a wave guide are directly applicable to the double-ridge cross section shown in Fig. 1(b). In this case, the total height of the guide is 2b, and the total spacing is 2b2. Thus, if the width is 23 inches and the height is 4 inch, then v bl/a, = 0.136, and the cutoff curves in Fig. 1 apply 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.9 I. 0 0.1 0.2 exactly. The characteristic-impedance curves apply also, but their values must be doubled. Hence, for a doulbleridge guide in which bl/al = 0.136, a2/al = 0.35, and Fig. 5-Cutoff-frequency ratios for the TE20 and TE30 modes in ridge wave guide. b2/b, = 0.2, the relative cutoff wavelength is Xc'/X = 1 .9, and the infinite-frequency characteristic impedance is very close to the value calculated by the foregoing ohms, by Fig. 2. Zo0=2X26=52 method. The attenuation constant in decibels per meter for The higher roots of (1) give the cutoff frequencies of wave guide may be calculated fairly single-ridge copper all the odd TEmo modes. The TE30 mode is of considerfrom the approximate formula: following closely able interest, since it is usually the lowest mode that can cause trouble in a transmission system having a symmetrical cross section in both E and H directions at every point including the ends. For 0<01,.90 degrees, } a = 6.01(10)-'kv'f + 60)2(t choose the root of 02 between 180 and 270 degrees. For f 2 ~zow 90 degrees <0, 180 degrees, choose the root of 02 be.0<270 detween 90 and 180 degrees. For 180 degrees< decibels per meter (8) rees, choose the root of 02 between 0 and 90 degrees. Once a pair of values 0, and 02 have been determined, the where a, and bi are in centimeters, and f is in cycles per ratiofC3'/fC3 can be determined from the relation second. k is a correction constant a little larger than which takes account of the more crowded current unity, + 02 01 fe3' in ridge wave guide than in plain wave distribution 2700 fc3 guide. If a2/a, is larger than about 3, this term is probwhere fa' and fc3 are the cutoff frequenciesfor the ably not greater than 1.5. For double-ridge wave guide, bi should be replaced by TE30 mode with and without the ridge, respectively. fc3'/fc3 is plotted in Fig. 5 as a function of a2/a, for the total guide height, 2b,. If any metal other than copseveral values of b2/b,, with Bc/ Yol neglected. Note that per is used, a is proportional to /7u/^.
I2

U.3

0.4

U0.

0.0

U.7

1.

1.

0.

0.

0.

0.

0.3

1947

Cohn: Properties of Ridge Wave Guide

787

III. EXPERIMENTAL VERIFICATION A three-foot length of ridge wave guide having the cross-sectional dimensions shown in Fig. 6(a) has been tested. For this symmetrical cross section, the design

2b2-0.2252
<4a2.o.g146
a

2b1-0.Cv3'

.2.36'

(a)
0. 178'+
1.3140'

1.000' . '.
-d

2.840'

(b)
Fig. 6-Two experimental cross sections discussee in the text.

method of II is applicable. The parameters are bl/a1 =0.136, b2/b1=0.35, and a2/a,=0.40. W0Aithout the ridges, the cutoff wavelength would be 2X2.36X2.54 = 12.0 centimeters, and the cutoff frequency would be 30,000/12.0 = 2500 megacycles. Fig. 2 gives fc/fc' = 1.50 and Zo0,/2 = 37 ohms. Therefore, f,' = 1670 megacycles and ZOOO=74 ohms. Fig. 5 gives approximately fc2'/fc2 = 1.10 and fc3'/fc = 1.06. Hence, fc2' = 2 X 2500 X 1.10 = 5500 megacycles, and fc3= 3 X 2500 X 1.06 = 7950 megacycles. The calculated and measured cutoff frequencies are tabulated below. MODE CUTOFFS
MODE

1675 megacycles TE20 5200 megacycles TE30 7900 megacycles. Ridge wave guide has been used for elements in wideband junctions between wave guide and coaxial line. In one type of junction designed for "toll-ticket" wave guide (a1=2.75 inches, b1=0.375 inch, b1/al=0.436) a quarter-wavelength section of ridge wave guide is used as a matching transformer between the 103-ohm guide and the 50-ohm line. The experimental results checked the ridge wave guide calculated impedance within a few per cent. In another type of junction for 3X12-inch wave guide, a tapered length of ridge guide is used to match the 50-ohm coaxial line. In this case, the impedance calculated for the ridge guide proved less accurate,
TEjo

1670 megacycles 5500 megacycles 7950 megacycles

CALCULATED

MEASURED

because the approximations were less valid with this higher ratio of bi to a1. The impedance in this case proved, however, to be about 25 per cent lower than the calculated value, and hence the impedance curveS in Fig. 3, though not very accurate, serve as a valuable guide in the preliminary design of a piece of equipment. In a double-ridge type of junction for 3 X 1'-inch wave guide, the impedance curves checked very well. In this case the ratio of b1 to a1 was approximately 0.25. A cross section in 3 X 12-inch wave guide that has been found experimentally to have ZOOO approximately equal to 50 ohms is shown in Fig. 6(b). Fig. 3 gives a value of 65 ohms for bl/a1= 0.5, b2/b1=0.133, and a2/a, =0.352. For the above cross section, the impedance must be scaled by the factor 0.472/0.500, since b1/al is not quite 0.5. Therefore, the calculated impedance is 61.5 ohms, which is 23 per cent greater than the approximate measured impedance. The paper now under preparation on wave-guide to coaxial-line junctions will give further details.2 APPENDIX I. THE CUTOFF EQUATION In the cross section of Fig. l(a), the electromagnetic field at the cutoff frequency may be considered as the resultant of a wave traveling from side to side without any longitudinal propagation. As pointed out by S. Ramo and J. R. Whinnery,l such a cross section may be treated at cutoff by assuming it to be an infinitely wide, composite, parallel-strip transmission'line short-circuited at two points. The TE1o-mode cutoff occurs at the frequency at which this strip transmission line has its lowest-order resonance. All the other TEmo0 cutoffs occur at the corresponding m-order resonance frequencies. For m odd, the resonance must be of a type giving an infinite impedance at the center of the cross section. For m even, this impedance must be zero. A resonance condition may therefore be set up by setting the input admittance of half the cross section equal to zero or infinity (Fig. 7). The discontinuity susceptance BC at the change in height must be included in the calculation. If one examines the equivalent circuit, it is seen that it is a composite, dissipationless, passive line matched at both ends, and it is, therefore, matched at every point within. Hence, the sum of the admittances across x - x must equal zero, and the following relation results: - Yol cot 01 + Bc + Yo2 tan 02 = 0 Bc, cot 01 , Y02 Zo1 Yol tan 02 Yo1 Z02 But in a strip transmission line, the characteristic impedance is proportional to the height. Therefore,
cot 01 - -

Be

b2

tan 02 y=1

(9)

788

PROCEEDINGS OF THE I.R.E.

zo
=

A ugust
o"
,

which is the cutoff condition for the odd TEmo0 modes

For the even modes, the equivalent circuit is shown in Fig. 7(c).

(1).

(f f

(12)
2

Binsoi
-P 02;

b24B.n.0'Z0B
|+
1 |
c

O4I~
(b)

(a)

Bc (c)

where fc' is the cutoff frequency of the ridge guide. Since the guide has been assumed thin, the voltage across the step will be continuous. The voltage distribution in the right half of the cross section will therefore be the same as that along the shorted composite transmission line shown in Fig. 8. Since the input impedance is infinite at the open end, the voltage across the guide is a maximum at that point. Transmission-line theory shows that the voltage distribution over the 02 range is given by V= Vo cos 0 from 0=0 to 0=02. Over the 01 range it is given by
V = V1 sin
(01 + 02-0) = sin 01

Fig. 7-Development of the equivalent circuit for ridge wave guide

Vo .

COS 02

sin 01

sin (01 +02 -0),

In this case, - Yo0 cot 01+B-Yo2 cot 02=0, and hence

-(10) b2 Yol Equation (6) follows readily from this. The discontinuity-susceptance term BC/ Yol is obtainable from a paper by J. R. Whinnery and H. W.,
=

from 0-02 to 0=0"+02.

t

cot 01 + - cot 02

I
V

bt

02

.Vo

=VoCOS02
x,@

C1O

Jamieson.6

II. IMPEDANCE EQUATION

In deriving the impedance equation for ridge wave guide, it will be assumed that b1/a, is small, so that the discontinuity susceptance at the edges of the ridge may be neglected. If the TE1o mode alone is set up in the wave guide, the E field distribution is the same at all frequencies, including f =fc and f = oo . The E field can be calculated easily at the cutoff frequency by the approach used in deriving the cutoff equation. At f= oo, the wave impedance is that of free space.7 Hence, if the E field is known, the H field is given by H=E/120r. Both E and H are completely transverse atf= oo, and the current on the top or bottom of the wave guide is completely longitudinal. The current per unit width is equal to the H field intensity at the surface of the conductor. The guide impedance at infinite frequency will now be defined as the ratio of voltage across the center of the guide to the total longitudinal current on the top face
Vo
I

xsa& /2 x=a2/2 Fig. 8-Approximate voltage distribution across

half of the cross section.

The E field is equal to V/b. Therefore, E = Eo cos 0, 0 0 -< 02 (13) b2 cos 02 E =-Eo . sin (O1 + 02-0), 02 < .0 (01 + 02). bi sin 01 The integral in (11) may be evaluated as follows:

XIt r (01+02) EdO Edx=- I 2ir JO 0O B' [ b2 cos 02 01+02 r@2 =Eo-J cos 0d0+sin (01+02-0)dO 27r tJo bi sin 01J2
I

al/2

b2Eo
2
r al/2

idx

120rb2Eo r al/2 2J Edx

(11)

I 02 +- ~~(1-CoOSi)}. =Eo-L{sin 27r 8 bi sin 01 Xc' { 01 b2 =Eo- sin 02+-COS 02 tan

Act

1+62\ 6.2 b2CS0 =Eo-{ sin 0 + -c0 cos (01+02-0) 2 7r o b1 sin 0, 2

b2 COS 02

The impedance at any other frequency is related to ZOOO by the expression

For background on this derivation, consult J. C. Slater, "Microwave-Transmission," McGraw-Hill Book Co. New York, N. Y., 1942; chap. 4.
7

Substituting this relation in (11) gives 120ir2b2 zoo0 = 'i+b2 { K 01} 'XC'slf 02 + - COS02 tanb1 ~2)

(14)