Power Dividers

Power Dividers.
Introduction.
Power dividers are passive microwave components used for power division or
power combining, as illustrated in Figure 1

Figure 1. Power division and combining. (a) Power division. (b) Power combining.
Power Dividers.
Introduction.
Power divider is passive microwave component used for
division or power combing.

Power divider divides the power of an input signal into

two or more output signal.

Three ports divider can be T junction while four port

networks can be directional coupler and hybrids.

Power divider is frequently used in telecommunication,

and radar technologies.
The Wilkinson power divider takes first name from
Ernest Wilkinson, the electronics engineer who initially
developed it in the 1960s.
Power Dividers.
Introduction.

• In power division, an input signal is divided into

two (or more) output signals of lesser power.
• A power combiner accepts two or more input
signals and combines them at an output port.
• The divider may have three ports, four ports, or
more, and may be (ideally) lossless.
• Power dividers usually provide in-phase output
signals with an equal power division ratio (3 dB),
but unequal power division ratios are also
possible.
T-junction power divider
• The T-junction power divider is a simple three-port network
that can be used for power division or power combining, and
it can be implemented in virtually any type of transmission
line medium.

Figure 2. Various T-junction power dividers. (a) E-plane waveguide T. (b) H-plane waveguide T. (c)
Microstrip line T-junction divider.
Resistive Divider
• If a three-port divider contains lossy components, it can be made to
be matched at all ports, although the two output ports may not be
isolated.
• The circuit for such a divider is illustrated in Figure , using lumped-
element resistors.
• An equal-split (−3 dB) divider is shown, but unequal power division
ratios are also possible.

Figure 3. An equal-split three-port resistive power divider

The Wilkinson Power Divider
• The lossless T-junction divider suffers from the
disadvantage of not being matched at all ports, and
it does not have isolation between output ports.

• The resistive divider can be matched at all ports, but

even though it is not lossless, isolation is still not
achieved.

• However, we know that a lossy three-port network

can be made having all ports matched, with
isolation between output ports.
The Wilkinson Power Divider

The Wilkinson power divider is such a

network, with the useful property of
appearing lossless when the output ports
are matched; that is, only reflected power
from the output ports is dissipated.

The Wilkinson power divider can be made

with arbitrary power division.
The Wilkinson Power Divider
This divider is often made in microstrip line or stripline form,
as depicted in Figure 3a; the corresponding transmission line
circuit is given in Figure 3b.

Figure 3. The Wilkinson power divider. (a) An equal-split Wilkinson power divider in microstrip
line form. (b) Equivalent transmission line circuit.
Comparison of passive power
dividers
Figures of merit
• Splitting ratio
• Relative phase shift
• Amplitude balance
• Amplitude ripple
• Phase balance
• Phase ripple
• Insertion loss
• Power divider isolation
• VSWR/ Return loss
Splitting ratio

Splitting ratio is Thus, a 2 to 1

defined as the power divider
ratio of output passes 50% (-3
power to input dB) of the power
power. to each output.

Power dividers are A 3 to 1 power

designed such divider passes
that the input 33% (-4.8 dB) of
power is equally the power to each
distributed among port, and so on.
the output ports.
Relative phase shift

Various power divider and

coupler circuits exist which
facilitate either 0 degree (in Generally, 0o (in phase) circuits
phase), 90 degree (quadrature are the easiest to design,
phase), or 180 degree followed by the 90o and 180o
(differential) phase shift circuits.
between the two output
signals.
Amplitude balance
Amplitude balance is a
measure of how evenly the
power is split between the
two arms of the device.

The amplitude balance is

typically less than 0.25 dB for
Marki power dividers and 0.4
dB for quad hybrid couplers.
Amplitude Ripple

Amplitude flatness is determined by how well

the divider maintains the amplitude ratio over
a specified bandwidth.

Ideally the device would provide a perfectly flat

(i.e. 0 dB) ripple over the usable bandwidth.

However, this is never the case and real devices

will have some amount of amplitude ripple
around the nominal splitting ratio.

In many designs, amplitude flatness can be

traded for bandwidth.
Phase Balance

Like Amplitude Balance, Phase

Phase balance is a measure of the Balance primarily applies to equal
differential phase shift between output power components like
the two output arms. Wilkinson power dividers and
quadrature hybrids.
Phase Ripple

Phase flatness
corresponds to how well The higher the operating
the constant relative frequency, the more
phase shift is maintained difficult it is to maintain
throughout the constant phase flatness.
bandwidth of the device.

Phase error is mostly

caused by small
transmission line length
asymmetries between
the two output ports.
Insertion Loss
Insertion loss refers to the
additional loss above the
nominal loss due to
splitting.

The additional losses

Losses caused by are caused primarily by
reflections also increase reflections, dielectric
with increasing absorption, radiation
frequency. effects, and conductor
losses.

Conductor losses in high Broadband designs tend to have

frequency devices are higher insertion losses because
caused predominantly by they are physically longer
the skin effect and the devices, and thus accumulate
surface roughness of PCB more dielectric, radiation, and
traces. conductor losses.
Insertion loss is the loss of signal power resulting from the
insertion of a device in a transmission line or optical fiber
and is usually expressed in decibels (dB).

The ideal value of insertion loss is 0dB.

Where,
•Pi: Maximum amount of power that can be transmitted before the
Insertion loss (dB) = 10 log (Pi/Po) insertion of a device in a transmission line.
•Po: Maximum amount of power that can be received after the
insertion of a device in a transmission.
Power Divider Isolation
In an ideal power divider the
output ports are mutually isolated.
• In other words, a signal entering output 2
does not leak out of output 3.

Isolation is defined as the ratio of

Isolation values above 15 dB are
a signal entering output #1 that is
considered good, and some
measured at output #2, assuming
designs are better than others in
all ports are impedance matched
terms of achievable isolation.
(usually 50 Ω).
• Isolation is the insertion loss in the open path of a switch or
between two ports on a passive device.

• It is measured between any one of the output port and input

port with the condition of another port in terminating
condition.

• It allows the signal only in the forward direction value should

be high.

• Isolation loss (dB) =10 log (Po/Pi)

• Where,
• Po: Amount of power received at output ports
• Pi: Amount of power incident on a transmission line.
VSWR/Return Loss

For power
dividers, one
must work very The metrics “voltage standing
hard to maintain
a good 50 match
wave ratio” (VSWR) and return
over all loss answer the same
frequencies to question: how well is the RF
achieve the best
performance, and network matched to a given
to minimize load and source impedance?
reflections within
the system.
• Return loss or reflection loss is the loss of signal power
resulting from the reflection caused at a discontinuity in a
transmission line or optical fiber.

• This Discontinuity can be a mismatch with the terminating

load or with a device inserted in the line.

• It is usually expressed in decibels

• Return loss (dB) = 10 log (Pi/Pr)

• Where,
• Pi: Amount of power incident on a transmission line
• Pr: Amount of power reflected back to transmission line
References
• D. M. Pozar, Microwave engineering, 4th Ed. John Wiley &
Sons, Hoboken N.J., pp. 317-333
• https://www.markimicrowave.com/assets/appnotes/microwa
ve_power_dividers_and_couplers_primer.pdf
• D. De, A. Prakash, N. Chattoraj, P. K. Sahu and A. Verma,
"Design and analysis of various Wilkinson Power Divider
Networks for L band applications," 2016 3rd International
Conference on Signal Processing and Integrated Networks
(SPIN), Noida, 2016, pp. 67-72.