20 IRE TRANSACTIONS—MICROWAVE THEORY AND TECHNIQUES October

pensator more nearly equal to the ARrnin of the wave- ent of the frequency. The amount of cancellation, how-
guide run. The AR compensator is found to be an ex- ever, depends on what the values of minimum AR for
tremely broadbanded device. the various sections are.
The AR performance of a waveguide run can be im-
CONCLUSIONS
proved by using an AR compensator. If the minimum
The dominant-mode AR in nominally circular wave- AR of the compensator is made about the same as the
guides can easily be obtained from approximate equa- minimum AR of the run itself and is oriented properly,
tions, when the difference between the major and minor the total AR will be high for any polarization of the in-
axes is small and the waveguide is not too long. The cident dominant-mode signals.
calculated values of AR agree quite well with values
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
found by measurements.
The effect of ellipticity on the dominant-mode AR, The author wishes to thank many associates at the
that is on the amount of crosstalk, is considerable. Bell Telephone Laboratories, in particular S. P. Mor-
When waveguide sections are connected in series, the gan, Jr., for helpful criticism and suggestions in the
AR of the individual sections can be partially cancelled preparation of this paper. The author is also indebted to
by properly orienting the sections relative to each other. those who assisted in making the measurements. Some
The orientation of each waveguide section is independ- tests were performed at Western Electric Company.

The Design of Ridged Waveguides

SAMUEL HOPFERt

S FAR as we are aware, the only published design CUTOFF CURVES AS ~ FUNCTION OF RIDGED GUIDE

A
extent
information
is found
in the
in a paper
Waveguide
on ridged
by
Handbook.
guide
S. B.
transmission
Cohnl
2 Recent
and
lines
to some
applica-
Figs. 1 (a) and 1 (b) show
GEOMETRY

the single- and double-ridged

cross sections; their equivalent circuit representation is
tions, however, have indicated a need for additional and,
shown in Fig. 1 (c). In keeping with common practice,
in some cases, more accurate design information. The
present paper is largely written with this in mind.
The design curves presented here differ in several
respects from those found in the literature. The more
important differences can be stated as follows: m! B3 m

1. The step discontinuity susceptance is properly Id+l s IA-J LA s lo-/-J

included in all calculations. Omission of this effect (a) (b) (c)
in calculating the cut-off frequencies of the higher
Fig. 1
modes, as well as in the calculation of the power
carrying capacity, leads to considerable errors. the ridged guide modes are given the same designations
2. The attenuation calculations are based on a more as the corresponding modes in the rectangular wave-
rigorous expression for ridged guide attenuation. guide. The equations which govern the cutoff conditions
3. The power handling curves take proper account of theTEmo type of modes are given by
of the breakdown at the edges.
b
4. The ridged guide impedance definition is different COt K.1 — ~ tan KcS/2 — B/YOl = O (1)
and seems more in line with experimental results.
5. The data are presented in terms of those parame- h

ters most likely to be specified in practice. cot KZl + $ cot KsS/2 — B/yoI = O. (2)

~ Polytechnic Res. & Dev. Co., Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y.

1 S. B. Cohn, “Properties of ridge waveguide, ” PROC. IRE, vol. 35, Eq. (1) applies to the odd TEno modes and (2) applies
pp. 783–788; August, 1947.
to the even TEno modes. K% is the propagation constant
2 Nathan lMarcuvitz, Waveguide Handbook, MIT Rad. Lab.
Series, vol. 10, pp. 399-402. in the x direction at cutoff and is given by KZ = 27r/A..

Authorized licensed use limited to: IMT ATLANTIQUE. Downloaded on May 24,2023 at 07:38:06 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 75)55 Hopfer: The Design of Ridged Waveguides 21

rF-t-ll i;;’ DOUBLE RIOGE - TE,~ MODE CUT-O’FF

~ I ‘1 t~l~
WAVELENGTH
b/o =0.5

+H—I—+H+H—+

w- 4.oLLlfHIL

uLuull/

Fig. 3

El Fig. 2

The characteristic admittances YOI and Yoz are defined

as

SIa
The value of the normalized susceptance term B/ YOI,
which represents the effect of the step discontinuity, Fig. 4

is taken from published data in the Waveguide Hand-

book.3 [n those cases, where the sidewalls of the guide b/a—and a b/a ratio of 0.25 is not very favorable for
are relatively close to the step discontinuity of the ridge, the single ridged guide—it is expedient to have single
proximity effects4 are taken into account in the deter- ridged data available for b/a = 0.45. These data are
mination of the normalized susceptance B/ YOI. in Figs. 5, 6, and 7 (next page). In case of Fig. 7, no val-
In Figs. 2, 3, and 4 the extension factors XC%o/a for ues of extension factors for .08< (s/a) <.5 are indicated,
the TE10, TE20, and TE~o modes are plotted as a function because in this range the TEa” mode cannot exist
of s/a, with d/b a parameter. The aspect ratio b/a is by itself but couples to the TEOI mode. ‘The extension
fixed at 0.5. These curves are directly applicable to a factors for the fundamental TEIO mode at aspect ratios
single ridged guide cross section of identical s/a and other than 0.45, as in the single ridged guide, may be
d/b ratios, but of an aspect ratio b/a which is one half determined with the help of Fig. 8 (next page). This de-
that of the double ridged guide. Since the electrical termination is essentially a first order correction on the
properties depend to various degrees upon the ratio value of the extension factor at b/a = .45. Expressed in
the form of an equation, we have
8 Ibid., p. 309.
4 J. R. j~hinnery, and H. JV. Jamieson, “Equit-aIent circuits for Aclo’
—
— (4)
discontmultles in transmission lines, ” PROC. IRE, VOI. 32, pp. 98–
116; February, 1944. a- ?’+F1”(: -+

Authorized licensed use limited to: IMT ATLANTIQUE. Downloaded on May 24,2023 at 07:38:06 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
22 IRE TRANSACTIONS—MICROWAVE THEORY AND TECHNIQUES Ociober

SINGLE RI OGE-TE30 MO OE CUT-OFF WAVELENGTH

I b/o = 0.45 —

1 I I
I I I I I 11! I I I I I I I I

Fig. 7

Fig. 5

I 1//f J I rt-.l5 I I

o 123 .456.7 8910’

s/a Fig. 8

Fig. 6
BANDWIDTH CONSIDERATIONS
where &10’/a is the desired extension factor at the actual
b/a and I.IO/a is the extension factor at b/a= .45. The The term “bandwidth,” as used here, is defined as the
factor FIO is a function of the parameters s/a and d/b ratio of the cutoff wavelengths of the fundamental mode
and is given by and the next higher mode. By inspection of the cutoff

4 ~ in csc (~d/2b)
a
Flo = (5)
27r(l – s/a) s/a 7rs/a
m(l — s/a) cscz + . — see’ —-+ 1.81ncsc~
[ A,IO/a 1 d/b AcJa

Authorized licensed use limited to: IMT ATLANTIQUE. Downloaded on May 24,2023 at 07:38:06 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
1955 Hopfer: The Design of Ridged Waveguides 23

— 54

— 52

— 5.

— 5J
a/b~O.10
I I I
I I I

-LLLLLLu
1 I H-H
::}-3
BANDwIDTH
~ :0.5

-~k
CtiRVES

~
LLi
-W1 I LU
— 4.
_
—4.’
].
: - ‘El
— 4. l\ I I l\ 1 1 1 1 :*

— 4.
i+ -1---”1
H L

— 4,(
&

— 3.
-N
.2
> 34
g—

: 33
o—
:3

5—
m
— 3.1 .> . —

— 2.

— 2J

— 2.

! I I I I I I I I ~\ ‘
—2. 2.01
0.0 0.I I 02 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 ).8 I 0.9 I 10 I
I SIa
— 2.1
I ,
I I
I I I I -rkF * $FFHwm
L--- — --

— 1.1 Ililillltl 1tt-”lt-i-1-

Hhttm
Slo Fi3. 10
Fig. 9
width” over which the guide may be operated. The
curves, it is seen that for any given geometry of the latter depends mainly upon how close tc} the lower cut-
ridged guide, the extension factor of the TE20 mode is off frequency one is willing to work. Inexperience has
always larger than the corresponding one for the TE~o shown that this may range anywhere from 15 per cent
mode. Thus, the cutoff frequency of the third mode is to 25 per cent above cutoff.
always greater than the cutoff frequency of the second
RIDGED GUIDE ATTENUATION
mode. Ori the other hand, cutoff calculations for the
TEOI mode show that the cutoff wavelength for this The attenuation a of the ridged guic[e transmission
mode ;.s very nearly equal to 2b. In order to extend the line is approximately given by

upper bandwidth limit of the ridged guide, to the TEZO

~A./bA~ -t Q
mode cutoff, the i5/a ratio should approximately be u = 8.686 db/rn (6)
made equal to one-half the extension factor of the TEZO
ti(L/x) 2 – 1p
mode. For large bandwidths, this would require the b/a where

F%’’[tan?+:sec’:l+:’”%l
‘an%+%
see’? —> (7)

ratio clf the double ridged guide to be about 0.4 and the and where
b/a ratio of the single ridged guide to be about 0.45.
P = skin depth in meters
Figs. 9 and 10 show the curves of bandwidth as a
~ = b/a y = s/a k ❑ = A/a
function of s/a and d/b for the single- and double-ridged
guides, respectively. It should be realized that the 1 – s/a
fl = d/a 6=— p == A./A.
“bandwidth” as defined here. is not the “useful band- 2-

Authorized licensed use limited to: IMT ATLANTIQUE. Downloaded on May 24,2023 at 07:38:06 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 IRE TRANSACTIONS—MICROWAVE THEORY AND TECHNIQUES October
24

o 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0,8 0.9

Slo Fig. 12
Fig. 11

A derivation of (6) is found in the Appendix. In order

6
to present ridged guide attenuation data in a general 5

fashion, it is convenient to compare the attenuation of 4

the ridged guide to that of a rectangular guide of iden- 3

tical cutoff frequency. We thus define a normalized at-
tenuation un, as the ratio of the ridged guide attenuation 2

to the rectangular guide attenuation of identical cutoff

and evaluate this ratio at a frequency f= ~~f,. Such
Io-’
curves are shown in Figs. 11 and 12. It can be shown that
8
u,, increases monotonically, with frequency reaching 7
Z6
its average value at about f = ~3f,. For bandwidths as —
5
large as 5, crn does not change by more than +25 per
4
cent from the plotted values. In the calculations of the
3
attenuation data it is assumed that the aspect ratio
b/a of the rectangular guide is the same as that of the
2
ridged guide. Thus, in the case of the double ridged
guide, the normalized attenuation is referred to a rect-
angular guide of aspect ratio 0.5, and in the case of the 162
single ridged guide to one of aspect ratio 0.45. Actually, 8
7
most standard waveguides fall within this range. In 6 \\ I
CON OUCTIVITY(SILVER)
order to evaluate the actual attenuation of the ridged 5 ‘ATTENuAT’ON ‘y CONOUCTIVITY(MAT.I
guide atf = ~~fc, ISn must be multiplied by the rectangu- 4 I

lar guide attenuation at this frequency. This latter

3 .4 5 .6 .7.B 1.0 23 4567810 15 20 30
quantity is plotted in Fig. 13 as a function of the guide
o= WIOTH OF GUIOE IN CM
width, a, for values of b/a = 0.5 and b/a= 0.45, respec-
Fig. 13
tively. It should be noticed, that the value of the ridged
guide attenuation, as obtained in the described manner,
POWER HANDLING CAPACITY
corresponds very closely to the minimum attenuation
over the frequency range, since the latter always occurs An approximate expression for the power carried by
in the vicinity of f= ~~f,. the ridged guide is given by

Authorized licensed use limited to: IMT ATLANTIQUE. Downloaded on May 24,2023 at 07:38:06 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
15)55 Hopfer: The Design of Ridged Waveguides 25

,00
I I I I I I I
: RELATIVE POWER HA NOLING CAPACITY I
70
.SINGLE RIDGED ~~EGUIDE TE,,o MODE
b/a :0.45 Co: 30,000 VlCM
so
FOR ANY OTHER FR\Q MULTIPLY
50
‘RD’NATE “T9
+0 NOTES,
I I 1,NO SAFETY FACTOR
~w ~ATlo , ~ INCLUDED,
30 Ay
2 CORNER BREAKDOWN- —
2.5 1S NOT CONSIDERED
-- — -- -=
/-
20 —- J— — — — — ~ — —
,,

d’

3.0
,0 —
,
* A - T =.= ._ . . . k ~—
/
7
-’-.. . _ . _’ h
‘z 6
u 3.5
%5
---.3 \
&4 / Y
\ \ —
: 4.0
--- --- -
\
!! ‘/ 7 \
/ 4.5 \
18 2 .
----
4
—!:
\ %
= 1“<”
-1 5.0
\
/ $ / ---i L _ \
0: x
/’ // /
o 8-
/
0,7 /
0 6 /’ /’ /
d
05

0, 4

0 3

0. 2

0’ ‘o 0 a, 02 0.3 04 05 06 0.7

(s/0)

Fig. l-l -.050d -.025d o +.025d +.o5O d +.075d

Fig. 15

the electric intensity in the vicinity of the edge to Eo

+:
27ry
sin ~+—
d

b
COS27ry/k

sin~ 27T8/~ [ k
––– 1}
d 1

4
47r13
sin ~- (8)
the
radius
electric

15 in which
of
intensity
curvature
the ratio
at
of
E./Eo
the
the
center,
edge.
is plotted
This
as a function
is shown
as a function
of the
in Fig.
of
the edge coordinate, with the radius c)f curvature a
where IL is the electric intensity at the center of the
parameter. The curves of Fig. 15 apply to the static case
ridged gap.
of a corner above a grounded plane. This case is treated
m = 1 for the double ridged guide in the literature.b Due to the variation of the electric
and intensity in the ridged gap, the E~/Eo ratio, as found
m = 2 for the single ridged guide. from the curves in Fig. 15, is always higher than in the
actual dynamic case. An approximate expression for
A derivation of the above expression is found in the
E,/Eo dynamic is given by
Appendix.
In Fig. 14, the quantity Pm/A/ is plotted against s/a, TS E,
with
the power
the bandwidth
carried by
ratio
the
a parameter.
single ridged guide
Pm represents
at infinite
(EJEO) dyn. = COS. ~
()
~ stat. (9)

frequency, with the electric intensity Eo at the center It should be evident that the curves in Fig. 15 are only

of the guide being equal to 30 kv per cm. Pm is thus seen applicable if p is very much smaller than any one of the
to represent the maximum power which could possibly physical dimensions of the ridged cross section. In the
be handled by the ridged guide, if an air dielectric at calculation of the maximum power handling capacity
standard conditions is assumed. In order to achieve this of a ridged guide, it is thus necessary to ascertain first
value for the maximum power handling ability, it would value of E,/Eo dyn. If the latter is Ie:ss than unity-,

be necessary that the breakdown occurs at the center of then the curves of Fig. 14 may be used directly, how-
the ric~ged guide. This, however, is generally not the ever, if E,/Eo dyn. is larger than unity, then the value
case, because the electric intensity at the edges of the obtained from Fig. 14 must be divided by (E,/Eo) dym.).~

ridge is normally higher than at the center. In view of R. Rothe, F. Ollendorf, and K. Pohlhausen, “Theory of Func-
5

of the critical dependence of the electric intensity on tions as .kpplied to Engineering problems, ” Murray Printing4C0.,
pp. 129–136; 1942.
the roundness of the edge, it is convenient to relate E,, GMarcuvitz, op. cit.

Authorized licensed use limited to: IMT ATLANTIQUE. Downloaded on May 24,2023 at 07:38:06 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
26 IRE TRANSACTIONS—MICROWAVE THEORY AND TECHNIQUES October

RIDGED GUIDE IMPEDANCE applications involve transitions from ridged to rectangu-

lar waveguide. While tapered ridges could be used for
In order to design transitions between the ridged
this purpose, it is more efficient and probably less costly
waveguide and a coaxial line or between any two dis-
to employ several quarter-wave ridged sections to effect
similar waveguides, one is forced to compare the im-
the transition. The various ridged sections may be ar-
pedances of the two guides. Although the value of im-
ranged in such a manner that the standing wave ratio
pedance designations in this connection is highly ques-
over the frequency band has a nearly Tchebycheff be-
tionable, it is, nevertheless, very useful in many in-
havior. If we refer to the symbols used in Fig. 17, we
stances as shown in the section on special applications.
see that the basic design formula for the stepped transi-
The impedance definition adopted for the calculation of
tion is given by
the ridged guide impedance is
a~ ln Z,’ = in Z,, (11)
Zo = vL1’/2P,

where
where VO is the peak voltage across the center of the
ridge, and where P represents the average power carried
by the guide. For convenience, the admittance rather
than the impedance is plotted in Fig. 16, as a function

w
of the ridged guide geometry. The admittance values
shown apply to infinite frequency and must therefore
be multiplied by the factor ~/A,, in order to yield the
correct value at any given frequency.

! !0
18
‘in
.16
I
1* I STEP 2
.! z STEP I

4H-tH-t’ ‘ ‘ Fig. 17
.08 I I I I I I I , ACROSS CENTER OF GUIDE I I I I I I 1 I
! I
llllllllltl, i’i “, Eq. (11) is readily solved for 21’ in terms of the
I I I I I I I
impedance transformation ratio Zin/Zout’ which is nor-
mally specified; thus

l/za~
Zi~ ~ . (12)
z;=
()—
Zoui

Once Z1’ is determined by (12), all successive impe-

dances are given by

TABLE I

I
,008 I I I I 1/1/1
X’K .J
I
N al
la21a3
l—
“4 a51a61a7
% l—l —1—!—1 —l—

“’ttFwMTt 1
1
11
1.41 1
~11
3241
1 2.12 2.12 1! 6.24
1 2,83 3.83 2,83 I 1 ~ 11.49
1 3.53 6.03 6.03 .?,53 21,12
1 4.24 8.73 10.94 8.73 4:24 1 38.88

The cw’s in Table 1, above, are computed to cover the

normal bandwidth of the standard rectangular guide;
(s/. I
i.e., the ratio of the AJ’s corresponding to the lowest
Fig. 16
and highest frequency at which the rectangular wave-
guide is operated is assumed to be 2.143. They are not
SPECIAL APPLICATIONS
optimum when a smaller bandwidth is to be covered.
While the large bandwidths obtainable with ridged Fig. 18 shows a plot of (12) for a varying number of
guide favor its use as a system by itself, nevertheless, steps used in each transition. In specifying the input
ridged guide sections are frequently used in conjunction and output impedance, it was found experimentally
with the standard rectangular guides. Invariably, such that by using the ZO~ values of the respective guides,

Authorized licensed use limited to: IMT ATLANTIQUE. Downloaded on May 24,2023 at 07:38:06 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 1955 Hopfer: The Design of Ridged Waveguides 27

better over-all results are obtained than by specifying K2 = K,’ + KCZ2+ KCv’ (14)
the characteristic impedance at the center frequency of
where
the design. The values for a given ridged guide geometry,
including the rectangular guide are directly obtained ~’ = fJJ2/w
from Fig. 16. Having determined the ZO~’s of the various
sections, we again employ Fig. 16 to obtain the neces-
sary ridged guide geometry to yield the desired ZO~.
u = attenuation constant in nepers permeter.

{5 K,. and K.u are wave numbers due to resonances in

the x and y directions. If the dielectric in the guide is
lossless, then K2 k real and consequently KC. and Kcg
14
must be complex if K’ is complex. Consider Fig. 1!). The

13
.-
.
12

II —.
PROPAGATION DIRECTION
I 0:
kcx = WAVE NUMBER
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
IMPEDANCE ?ATIO - ZIN/ZouT
Fig. 19
Fig. 18
value of KZ for propagation along the guide must be the

From a standpoint of easy fabrication, it is desirable same for both regions 1 and 2. Since AZ is also the same
to keep the dimension s, the width of the ridge, constant throughout the cross-section if follows that

throu~ghout. The length of each transformer section is

given by
AglAg2 In order to determine K,,I and K.v2, we assume an E
1= (13)
wave to propagate in the y direction ancl being reflected
2(kgl + Xgz)
by the slightly 10SSY top aud bottom walls, as shown in
where h~l, and hc~ are the guide wavelengths of the Fig. 20. The metallic medium has a complex phase
respective section at the two ends of the frequency
band. The A,’s for each section are determined with
the aid of Fig. 5. In general, therefore, the length of

I
each section will be different. The theory underlying
PROPAGATION
the transformer design is based on many simplifying I2IRECTION
a.ssurnptions which make difficult<the accurate predic-
tion of the vswr response for a given number of sections.
Yom
It has been found experimentally that 4 section trans-
formers designed in accordance with the above design = WAVE NUMBER
kcy
formulas will cover the entire waveguide band with a
m~ximum vswr between 1. 15–1 .20 for ZO~ transforma- Fig. 20
tion ratios of as high as 4.3.
constant K~m= (1—j)/p and a comple~ characteristic
APPENDIX
admittance Yom = ILJuP, where P is the s~~n deptJL The
ATTENU.ATIO~ CALCULATION characteristic admittance YO1, 170Z of the medium be-
tween the parallel plates is Ue/K,v for an E wave. At
Rather than to attempt to find the approximate
y = b/2 the admittance is infinite, since the nonvan ishing
field distribution in the ridged guide and to determine
tangential E at the top and bottom walls must reverse
from it the current distribution in the walls of the guide,
itself. The input admittance for medium 1 at y = b/2
the following derivation is presented in outline and is
is thus given by
entirely based on transmission line calculations. This
method was suggested to the author by Dr. N. Mar- I’om
j + ~ COt KCy,bj2
cuvitz.
We start with the well-known relation between the Yin = Yol (16)
rom “
variously directed periodicities in a uniform guided COt Kcylb/2 + j j<
system:

Authorized licensed use limited to: IMT ATLANTIQUE. Downloaded on May 24,2023 at 07:38:06 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
28 IRE TRANSACTIONS—MICROWAVE THEORY AND TECHNIQUES October

In view of the smallness of K.UI, the above equation ~AJbA2 + Q

g=
leads to {(A./A)2 – 1 ‘“

KCUI 2 = – (1 – j) K’p/b, (17)

POWER HANDLING CALCULATIONS

and similarly for medium 2 Again consider the situation at cutoff. The total field
in the cross-section is a superposition of the fundamental
%22 = — (1 — j) K2p/d. (18)
TEM mode at cutoff and all the higher E modes set up
To determine the wave numbers KCZI and K.Z2, con- by the step discontinuity. We shall now treat the funda-
sider the equivalent circuit of Fig. 21. The step dis- mental mode distribution by assuming that the total
continuity is now represented by a shunt impedance, field at the center of the ridge is that of the fundamental
which is composed of two parts; the capacitive reac- mode. From transmission line theory the voltage dis-
tance, and, in series with it, the impedance of the wall tribution is given by
forming the step. The former is assumed to be unaffected
~(zj = ~(0) co~ KX – jz~@) sin K%
by the wall losses, and the latter is assumed to be given
by cwp(b– d)/(1 –j). The total shunt admittance is thus Thus, when V(o) is the voltage at the center of the ridge,
represented by the voltage distribution in the ridged part of the cross
section is given by
1
Y, = 05~5~/2
L+Lp(b
– d)/(1 – j) – j/~ t’(x) = ~@) cos KX

— B’wp(b– d) .
- since

I(IJ) = o

~+s:;,, and similarly for the unridged part

v{z~) = – ~z~~otj sin KZ’ 0=s%’s1

1
YQi I Y02 where we have chosen the origin (O’) at the side wall of

Yom ‘fins I, Yms the guide. At x = s/2 corresponding to x’= 1, the two
Yom
voltages must be continuous since the effect of the step
I is purely shunt. This leads to
jB ~ ; I / <jB
2?r
E(x) = E(o) COSfi x o=<x <s/2
\cENTRAL pLANE,

ZERO ADMITTANCE d Cos 27r/Acs/2 27r%’

Fig. 21 E(x’) = ; E(o) – sin — O’.ZX’L1,
sin 27r/iCL AC
The condition of transverse resonance in the X direc-
Now consider a differential volume element as shown
tion is satisfied if
in Fig. 22.
(Yom) transformed + (Ye) transformed+ Y, = O, (19)

where for convenience all admittances are transformed

to the plane of the step. Y, is the zero admittance exist-
1
ing at the central plans. Eq. (19) contains both K.xl and
KCZZ, however, one of these quantities can be eliminated
by using (15), (17) and (18). If we take into account the
following conditions for small losses
Fig. 22
Re (K..,) >> ~m (Kc.,)

Re (KGz2) >> Irn (KC .2) The maximum electric energy contained in the funda-
mental mode in the volume element Adz is given by
Re (K..I) >> Re (KM)

and
solution
ignoring
for IC.z
all
Re (K, .2) >> Re

second
is obtained.
order
(K,g2)

Finally,
quantities,
the
a complex
attenuation
‘“’= [IJ+’’E2’AI’Z
The above value is also equal to the total energy in the
constant is obtained from the relationship fundamental mode at any time. The energy contained
in the fringing field is approximated by
KZ2 = (~ — j“U)2 = K2 — KC.12 — KCV12

‘K 2 — Kc.22 — KW22 dU2 = ~CV2dz,

to yield the expression in the text, namely where V is assumed to be the first mode voltage at the

Authorized licensed use limited to: IMT ATLANTIQUE. Downloaded on May 24,2023 at 07:38:06 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
1955 Cohn: Shielded Coupled-Strip Transmission Line 29

step and C is approximately expressed by where dzjdt is the group velocity which is given by
(l/~eO,UO)A/A,. Evaluation of the last expression yields
260
C = ——— in csc (7rd/2b) farads/meter. (8) of the text.
T

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The tc)tal energy in the volume element becomes

[ss~
The major part of the work reported in this paper was
dlr~ =
A
1
coE~dA + CV2
1 dz, sponsored
NObsr-39294
No.
by

DA36-039-sc-42662.
the
and
Bureau
by the
of Ships
Signal
It was
Corps
under

carried
under
out
Contract

by
Contract
the
No.

fol-
and the power in the z direction is given by
lowing people of the Polytechnic Research & Develop-
dUT

– dt=~ [ss ~
1
eoEzdA + CVZ
1 dz

z’
ment
Rubin,
Co.,
L. Kent,
Inc. staff:
C. ~ossmann,
W. E. Wailer,
and the
M.
author.
Sucher, S.

Shielded CoupledStrip Transmission Line

S. B. COHN~

Surrvnarg-An analysis is made of the odd and even TEM modes Due to the odd symmetry of the electric field, this mode
on a pair of parallel co-planar strips midway between ground planes. will be called the odd coupled-strip mode. In the case
Rigorous formulas are presented for the case of zero-thickness strips,
of the odd mode, the vertical plane of symmetry is
while approximate formulas are given for strips of finite thickness and
for strips printed on opposite sides of a thin dielectric sheet supported
at ground potential, and may be replaced by al thin
in air between ground planes (AIL construction). The characteristic conducting wall joined electrically to the horizontal
impedances and the phase velocities of the two modes are necessary ground plates. It is clear from the fieldl plots that the
and sufficient information for the design of directional couplers, capacitance per strip to ground is less for the evetl case
ccmplec[-line filters, and other components utilizing the coupling be-
tween parallel-strip lines. In order to facilitate design work, nomo-
grams are included in the paper which give the dimensions of the
coupleckstrip cross section in terms of the odd- and even-mode char-
\—j ~ CI==l co
acteristic
nomograms
impedances.
may be read
The characteristic-impedance
to an accuracy of better than
scales of these
one per cent
~~
over a wide range of values that is sufficient for most purposes. DIRECTIONAL COUPLER BAND-PASS FILTER

INTRODUCTION

r UMEROUS strip-line components utilize the

coupling between parallel strips as a basic param-
N
eter in their design. Several examples of such
q-ii=
components are shown in Fig. 1 (next page), where cou- SINGLE STRIP L
y LINE=*
BALANCED
pled lines are used to achieve a particular effect in each STRIP LINE

case. In order to design these circuits to meet prescribed

performance specifications, it is necessary to have ac- DELAY LINE
SINGLE-TO- EALANCEO
STRIP-LINE TRANSFORMER
curate data on the coupling effects of parallel strips.
Solutions for the most important parameters have been Fig. l—Several applications of coupled-strip 1ine construe{ ion.

obtained, and are presented in this paper.

and more for the odd case than for a single isolated
Fig. 2 (next page) shows transverse field distributions
strip of the same width. Consequently, the characteristic
for two fundamental TEM modes that can exist on a
impedances of the two modes are unequal, being greater
pair of parallel conducting strips between parallel ground
for the even than for the odd. In this paper, sol~ltions
planes. In Fig. 2(a), strips are at same potential and
for the two characteristic impedances will be given. 1
carry equal currents in the same direction. Because of
These quantities (plus the mode phase velocities, which
the even symmetry of the electric field about the ver-
are also treated) provide sufficient information for the
tical axis, this mode will be called the even coupled-strip
mode. In Fig. 2(b), strips are at equal but opposite po- 1 (After
this paper was prepared, a paper by D. Park appeared
with a solution for ZO of the odd mode. The us,e of elliptic-integral
tentials and carry equal currents in opposite directions. identities shows Park’s formula to be the same as mine. ) D, Park.
“Planar transmission lines, ” TRANS. IRE, VOI. lVITT-3, pp. 8–12;
~ Stanford Res. Inst., Menlo Park, Calif. April, 1955.

Authorized licensed use limited to: IMT ATLANTIQUE. Downloaded on May 24,2023 at 07:38:06 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.