6.
7 Richards Transformation, Stepped impedance
6.7 Richards Transformation, Stepped impedance
Module:6 Microwave Passive circuits
Course: BECE305L – Antenna and Microwave Engineering
-Dr Richards Joe Stanislaus
Assistant Professor - SENSE
Email: 51749@[Link] / [Link]@[Link]
6.7 Richards Transformation, Stepped impedance
Module:6 Microwave Passive circuits 7
hours
• T junction and resistive power divider, Wilkinson power divider,
branch line coupler (equal & unequal), Rat Race Coupler, Filter
design: Low pass filter (Butterworth and Chebyshev) - Richards
transformation and stepped impedance methods.
• Source of the contents: Pozar
6.7 Richards Transformation, Stepped impedance
4.1 Filter implementation: Problems
• The lumped-element filter designs discussed (binomial, chebychev)
generally work well at low frequencies,
• but two problems arise at higher RF and microwave frequencies.
1) lumped-element inductors and capacitors are generally available
only for a limited range of values – are difficult to implement at
microwave frequencies.
Distributed elements, such as open-circuited or short-circuited
transmission line stubs, are often used to approximate ideal lumped
elements.
2) At microwave frequencies the distances between filter
components is not negligible.
6.7 Richards Transformation, Stepped impedance
4.1 Filter implementation: Solution
• The first problem is treated with Richards’ transformation,
used to convert lumped elements to transmission line sections.
• Kuroda’s identities can then be used to physically separate filter
elements by using transmission line sections.
• Because such additional transmission line sections do not affect the
filter response, this type of design is called redundant filter
synthesis.
improve the filter response; such non-redundant synthesis does not
have a lumped-element counterpart.
6.7 Richards Transformation, Stepped impedance
4.2 Richards’ Transformation
• Frequency 𝜔 is mapped to Ω plane
𝜔𝑙
• Ω repeats itself at a period of = 2𝜋
𝑣𝑝
• This was introduced to synthesize LC network using open- and
short- circuited transmission line stubs
• Impedance in Ω plane is obtained by replacing 𝜔 with Ω = tan 𝛽𝑙
• Reactance of inductor: 𝑗𝑋𝐿 = 𝑗𝐿Ω = 𝑗𝐿 tan 𝛽𝑙
(Replace inductor with short circuited stub of length 𝛽𝑙 and
characteristic impedance 𝐿)
• Susceptance of capacitor: 𝑗𝐵𝐶 = 𝑗𝐶Ω = 𝑗𝐶 tan 𝛽𝑙
(Replace capacitor with open circuit stub of length 𝛽𝑙 and
characteristic impedance 𝐶)
• Unity filter impedance is assumed.
6.7 Richards Transformation, Stepped impedance
4.2 Richards’ Transformation
• Reactance of inductor: 𝑗𝑋𝐿 = 𝑗𝐿Ω = 𝑗𝐿 tan 𝛽𝑙
(Replace inductor with short circuited stub of length 𝛽𝑙 and
characteristic impedance 𝐿)
6.7 Richards Transformation, Stepped impedance
4.2 Richards’ Transformation
• Susceptance of capacitor: 𝑗𝐵𝐶 = 𝑗𝐶Ω = 𝑗𝐶 tan 𝛽𝑙
(Replace capacitor with open circuit stub of length 𝛽𝑙 and
characteristic impedance 𝐶)
6.7 Richards Transformation, Stepped impedance
4.2 Richards’ Transformation
• At cut-off frequency 𝜔𝑐 in 𝜔 plane, with 𝜆 is wavelength at 𝜔𝑐
Ω = 1 = tan 𝛽𝑙 which means 𝛽𝑙 = 𝜋/4 or the stub length of 𝜆/8.
Electrical lengths of all the stubs are same.
Hence, they are known as commensurate lines.
• At frequency 𝜔0 = 2𝜔𝑐 , the stub length will be 𝜆/4 and attenuation
pole occurs (𝛽𝑙 = 𝜋/2 and tan 𝛽𝑙 = ∞)
• The response away from 𝜔𝑐 will be different and not same.
• In addition, the response will be periodic in frequency, repeating
every 4𝜔𝑐 .
6.7 Richards Transformation, Stepped impedance
4.3 Kuroda’s identities
• The four Kuroda identities use redundant transmission line sections
to achieve a more practical microwave filter implementation
by performing any of the following operations
• Physically separate transmission line stubs
• Transform series stubs into shunt stubs, or
Transform shunt stubs into series stubs
• Change impractical characteristic impedances into more realizable
values
• The additional transmission line sections are called unit elements
and are λ/8 long at ωc;
• The unit elements are thus commensurate with the stubs used to
implement the inductors and capacitors of the prototype design
6.7 Richards Transformation, Stepped impedance
4.3 Kuroda’s identities
• Each box represents a unit element, or transmission line, of the
indicated characteristic impedance and length (λ/8 at 𝜔𝑐 )
• The inductors and capacitors represent short-circuit stub and open-
circuit stubs respectively.
𝑛2 = 1 + 𝑍2 /𝑍1
2
6.7 Richards Transformation, Stepped impedance
4.3 Kuroda’s identities
• Each box represents a unit element, or transmission line, of the
indicated characteristic impedance and length (λ/8 at 𝜔𝑐 )
• The inductors and capacitors represent short-circuit stub and open-
circuit stubs respectively.
𝑛2 = 1 + 𝑍2 /𝑍1
4
6.7 Richards Transformation, Stepped impedance
4.3 Kuroda’s identity - 1
1
6.7 Richards Transformation, Stepped impedance
5. Stepped impedance LPF
• A relatively easy way to implement low-pass filters in microstrip or
stripline: use alternating sections of very high and very low
characteristic impedance lines. (stepped-impedance, or hi-Z, low-Z
filters)
• Popular because they are easier to design and take up less
space than a similar low-pass filter using stubs.
• Because of the approximations involved, however, their electrical
performance is not as good,
so the use of such filters is usually limited to applications where a
sharp cutoff is not required (for instance, in rejecting out-of-band
mixer products).
6.7 Richards Transformation, Stepped impedance
5. Stepped impedance LPF
• Approximate equivalent circuits for
short sections of transmission lines.
Used for 𝛽𝑙 ≪ 𝜋/2 :
Equivalent circuit for small βl and
large Z0
Equivalent circuit for small βl and
small Z0
6.7 Richards Transformation, Stepped impedance
6.7 Richards Transformation, Stepped impedance
Low-pass filter prototype circuit.
Stepped impedance implementation
Microstrip layout of the final filter
6.7 Richards Transformation, Stepped impedance
N = 6 should give the required
attenuation at 4.0 GHz
6.7 Richards Transformation, Stepped impedance
N = 6 should give the required
attenuation at 4.0 GHz
6.7 Richards Transformation, Stepped impedance
N = 6 should give the required
attenuation at 4.0 GHz
6.7 Richards Transformation, Stepped impedance
N = 6 should give the required
attenuation at 4.0 GHz
6.7 Richards Transformation, Stepped impedance
