ECE 5317-6351

Microwave Engineering
Fall 2011
Prof. David R. Jackson
Dept. of ECE

Notes 17
Impedance Matching

1
 Impedance Matching

rce Matching

d
u

a
So Ckt.

Lo
Z in ZL

Impedance matching is used to:

• Maximize power from source to load We have Z L  RL  jX L
• Minimize reflections We want Z in  Rin  jX in
• Set terminating condition

Considerations: 
• Complexity • Implementation Matching circuit typically requires
• Bandwidth • Adjustability at least 2 degrees of freedom.

2
 Impedance Matching (cont.)

Matching
e

ad
rc
u
Ckt.

Lo
So

We will consider:

1) Lumped element matching circuits

2) Transmission line matching circuits

3) Quarter-wave Impedance transformers

3
 Lumped-Element Matching Circuits
Examples
"pi"
"ell" jX 1 jX 2

jX 2 shunt-series jX 1 jX 3
y
ilit
ib
x
fle
No

One extra degree of freedom

jX 2

jX 1 series-shunt

2 elements  2 degrees of freedom

4
Lumped-Element Matching Circuits (cont.)
“tee” jX 1 jX 3

jX 2 One extra degree of freedom

“ladder”

m+2 elements

m extra degrees of freedom

5
 Smith Charts Review
Short-hand version

Lines of
constant X
+

Lines of
constant R

 plane

6
Smith Charts Review (cont.)
Lines of constant B

Lines of
constant G

 plane

7
 Smith Charts Review (cont.)
ZY- Chart

- +

+ -

 plane

8
 Series and Shunt Elements
- +
 plane Shunt L

Series L
Series C

Shunt C

+ -

Note: The Smith chart is not actually being used as a transmission-line calculator but
an impedance/admittance calculator. Hence, the normalizing impedance is arbitrary.
9
High Impedance to Low Impedance
Use when GL < Yin (RL > Rin)

(High pass) shunt-series “ell”

iesC tL
Ser Shun
ZL jX 1
Z in
jX 2 ZL

Shunt C
Series L (Low pass) Z in

The shunt element decreases

impedance; the series element is used
Two possibilities to “tune out” unwanted reactance.

10
 Low Impedance to High Impedance
Use when RL < Rin

Series-shunt “ell”
(Low pass)

t C
Sh un
Series L jX 2

Z in
jX 1 ZL
ZL
Shunt L
Series C Z in

(High pass)
The series element increases the
impedance; the shunt element is used
Two possibilities to “time out” the unwanted reactance.

11
 Example 100  jX L
100 [] jX L Here L means inductor.

jX C
1000 []
 ZL

Z in We want Zin  100 []

] 000 [ ]
100 [ 1
XL 0.3
Bn  0.3 BC ,n  0.3  BC   3 [mS]
BC 100[]
1
 X C  333[] 
X n  3.0 C

X L,n  3  X L  3 100[]
X L  300[]   L

Use low impedance to high impedance matching.

12
 Example (cont.)
Here, the design example was repeated using a 50 [] normalizing impedance.

Note that the final

normalized input
impedance is 2.0.
Re  Z in 
ohms

Im  Z in 

[ Ω]
5 0

5 GHz design frequency

C  0.096 [pF]
L  9.55 [nH]
13
 Example (cont.)
100[] jX L

This works for low-high or high-low.

1000[]
jBC1 jBC2

]
0 [
10

Repeat the same example

using a "pi" network. Bc1

1000 [Ω]
Note that this solution is not unique. 100[Ω]
Different values for Bc2 could have
been chosen. XL
Bc2

Note: We could have also used parallel

inductors and a series capacitor, or
other combinations.
14
 Example (cont.)
Here, the design example was repeated using a 50 [] normalizing impedance.

Note that the final

normalized input
impedance is 2.0.
Ohms Re  Z in 

Im  Z in 
]
[
50

3.82[nH]

Design frequency = 5GHz

1.03 [pF] 0.344 [pF]

15
Discontinuities: Rectangular Waveguide

Inductive iris or strip

Capacitive iris or strip


Resonant iris

16
Discontinuities: RWG (cont.)

 Z 01 Z 02

E plane step

 Z 01 Z 02

H plane step

17
 Discontinuities: Microstrip

Z0  Z0 C

Cs

Z0 Z0  Z0 Cp Cp Z0

L L

Z 01 Z 02  Z 01 Z 02
C

18
 Transmission-Line Matching
Single-Stub Tuning
d

Y 01 Z 01 ZL
Open or
short ckt. Z 02
YL

Ys

Ys  - jB
 jB
Y0 1
“Shunt stub”

Note: Only one of two possible

solutions is shown.
d  plane
19
 Transmission-Line Matching (cont.)

Short ckt. Load on stub Open ckt. Load on stub

- jB - jB
Y02
SC

S.C. O.C.

OC
 plane  plane

20
 Transmission-Line Matching (cont.)
Z 01  jX
Series stub d

Z 01 Z 01 ZL

jX Z 02
  jX
Z 01 Z 01
d

ZL   Short ckt.

 SC (Can also use open ckt.)
Z 01


S.C.


 plane
- jX

Note: Only one of two possible

solutions is shown. 21
 Double-Stub Tuner
YB , Z B
Z L , YL
YA , Z A Note: d is arbitrary.
d d

Z 01 Z L

Z 02 jB 2 Z 02 jB1 Both stubs have the same Z .
02

2 1
The advantage is that we can use a
fixed distance d between the stubs
(hence we can re-tune easily if the
• Design B1 such that load changes).
YA  Y01  jB
• Design B2  - B
 YB  Y01 ( Z B  Z01 )

22
 Double-Stub Tuner (cont.)

Y 01 1) Add shunt stub 1 in order

to intersect the rotated
(green) 1 + jB circle.
B2 2) Rotate on the Smith chart
a distance d (black dashed
curve) to intersect the
1+jB circle.
Y01 3) Add shunt stub 2 to go to
the center of the Smith
d
chart

B1 YL
d

The green circle is the 1+jB circle that has been rotated counter-clockwise a distance d.
23
 Double-Stub Tuner (cont.)
Y 01 1) Add shunt stub 1 in order
to intersect the rotated
(green) 1 + jB circle.
2) Rotate on the Smith chart
a distance d (black dashed
curve) to intersect the
1+jB circle.
Y01 3) Add shunt stub 2 to go to
the center of the Smith
B2
d B1 chart

YL
d Alternative solution
(The stubs are inductive.)

24
 Quarter-Wave Transformer
g / 4

Z0 ZT ZL
Z L is real

@ f  f0
2 g 
  
Z in , in g 4 2

in  0 ZT  Z0Z L ZT2

when
Z in 
ZL
Only true at f 0 where  g / 4

Note: If ZL is not real, we can always add a reactive load in series or parallel to make
it real (or add a length of transmission line between the load and the transformer).
25
 Quarter-Wave Transformer (cont.)
At a general frequency:

 Z L  jZT tan T 
Z in  ZT  
 T
Z  jZ L tan  T 

 Z L  jZT t 
 ZT   t  tan T
 T
Z  jZ L 
t

After some algebra,

Zin - Z 0 Z L - Z0
 
Zin  Z 0 Z L  Z 0  j 2t Z 0 Z L

where we have used ZT2  Z0 Z L

26
 Quarter-Wave Transformer (cont.)
Z L - Z0

Z L  Z 0  j 2t Z 0 Z L

After some more algebra,

1

 4Z Z 
1  0 L
sec 2
 
  Z L - Z 0 
2


where we used 1  t 2  1  tan 2  l  sec2  l

27
 Quarter-Wave Transformer (cont.)

 The bandwidth is defined

by the limit m.

(For example, using m = 1/3
m corresponds to SWR = 2.0. We
could also say m = -9.54 dB.)

m   - m  
2
1
m 
Bandwidth of matching transformer :  4Z Z 
1  2 sec  m 
0 L 2

   2 - 1   2   - m    Z L - Z 0  
2 
Solving for m,

m  2 Z0Z L
m  cos-1  


1- 2m  Z L - Z0
28
 Quarter-Wave Transformer (cont.)
For TEM lines:
2  g   f 2f 
         f   0 
g  4  fo
2 f0   
 2 f0 
 fm m  
  
f 2  f0 - fm  4 Note: Multiply
 BW    2- m by 100 to get
f0 f0  BW in percent.

Hence, using m from the previous slide,

4   2 Z0Z L 
BW  2 - cos  m -1

  1- 2m | Z L - Z0 | 


Smaller contrast between Z 0 and Z L  larger BW

Larger contrast between Z 0 and Z L  smaller BW
29
 Example
g / 4
Given:

Z0 ZT
Z L  100 []
ZL

Z 0  50 []

Two choices:

 m  1/ 3  dB
m  -9.54 [dB]  BW  0.433  43.3% 
m  0.05   dB
m  -26.0 [dB]  BW  0.060  6.0% 

 
4 2 Z0Z L 
BW  2 - cos  m -1

  1- 2m | Z L - Z0 | 

30