Experiment 1

Study of Microwave Components.

Objectives

The main objectives of this experiment are:

• To study the components used in microwave engineering
• To study the necessity of using microwave components and their working principle while
doing laboratory work in the lab

1.1 Theory

Microwaves are electromagnetic waves having wavelength in the micron ranges.Though

microwave frequencies refer to those from 1GHz to 106 GHz but generally used for those
wavelengths measured in centimeters,roughly from 10cm to 1cm(3 to 30 GHz) and the wave
having wavelength less than 1cm corresponds to higher frequencies(>30GHz).Microwave
systems are made up of many individual components joined by lengths of wave guide,co-axial
line or transmission line.Usually a microwave system consists of a transmitter
subsystem,including a microwave oscillator,waveguide,a transmission antenna,and a reciever
subsystem that includes a receiving antenna,waveguide a microwave detector,power and
frequency meter.The intermediate region between the transmitter and receiver,as well as the
inner hollow space of the waveguide maybe filled up with air or dielectric medium.The
electromagnetic wave traverses in the same speed of light through air but a dielectric medium
such as Teflon,and even water slowed down the waves[1] .

Microwave Components:
• Microwave Source
• Wavemeter
• Calibrated Attenuator
• Stand
• Waveguide
• Tx Horn Antenna
• Rx Horn Antenna
• Power Meter
• Waveguide Termination
• Crystal Mount

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Microwave Sources:

High power microwave sources use specialized vacuum tubes to generate microwaves.These
devices operate on different principles from low frequency vacuum tubes, using the ballistic
motion of electrons in a vacuum under the influence of controlling electric or magnetic fields,
and include the magnetron (used in microwave ovens), klystron, traveling-wave tube (TWT),
and gyrotron. Low-power microwave sources use solid- state devices such as the field- effect
transistor (at least at lower frequencies), tunnel diodes, Gunn diodes and IMPATT diodes [1].

Wave Meter:

Wavemeter, device for determining the distance between successive wavefronts of equal phase
along an electromagnetic wave.

Calibrated Attenuator :
The attenuators used in radio frequency circuit applications decrease signal strength without
distortion.Since attenuators serve key purposes, such as controlling a signal to prevent an
overload, it’s vital that their performance, accuracy and repeatability be confirmed.
Stand :
A microwave stand is a piece of furniture that is designed to hold a microwave device and
provide additional counter space in a microwave system.
Waveguide :
A hollow metallic tube of the uniform cross section for transmitting electromagnetic waves by
successive reflections from the inner walls of the tube is called as a Waveguide. A waveguide
is generally preferred in microwave communications. A waveguide is a special form of a
transmission line, which is a hollow metal tube. Unlike the transmission line, the waveguide
has no center conductor.
Horn Antenna:
A Horn antenna is a type of aperture antenna which is specially designed for microwave
frequencies. The end of the antenna is widened or in the horn shape. Because of this structure,
there is larger directivity so that the emitted signal can be easily transmitted to long distances.
Horn antennas operate in microwave frequency, so the frequency range of these antennas is
super high or ultra-high which ranges from 300 MHz – 30 GHz.[1]
Power Meter:
A microwave power meter is an instrument which measures the electrical power at microwave
frequencies typically in the range 100 MHz to 40 GHz.Usually a microwave power meter will
consist of a measuring head which contains the actual power sensing element, connected via a
cable to the meter proper, which displays the power reading. The head may be referred to as
a power sensor or mount.Microwave power meters have a wide bandwidth,they are not
frequency-selective. To measure the power of a specific frequency component in the presence
of other signals at different frequencies a spectrum analyzer or measuring receiver is needed.

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Waveguide Termination:
Waveguide terminations absorb energy and prevent RF signals from reflecting back from open-
ended or unused waveguide ports. They are passive devices which dissipate radio frequency
(RF) energy by producing heat energy. There are three main performance specifications to
consider when selecting waveguide terminations. Frequency range is the range of frequencies
over which devices waveguide terminations are designed to operate. Voltage standing wave
ratio (VSWR), a unit-less ratio ranging from 1 to infinity, is a measure of the amount of
reflected energy at the input of the device. Return loss is a measure of the match between
system impedance and the impedance of waveguide terminations.[1]
Crystal Mount:
A crystal detector probe and crystal detector mount are connected to each other. This is used to
demodulate the signals.
Signal Generator:
It generates a microwave signal, in the order of a few milliwatts. This uses velocity modulation
technique to transfer continuous wave beam into milliwatt power. A Gunn diode oscillator or a
Reflex Klystron tube could be an example for this microwave signal generator.
Precision Attenuator:
This is the attenuator which selects the desired frequency and confines the output around 0 to
50db. This is variable and can be adjusted according to the requirement.
Variable Attenuator:
A variable attenuator is a circuit that decreases the strength of the input signal either
continuously or step by step without appreciable signal distortion while substantially
maintaining constant impedance match.This attenuator sets the amount of attenuation. It can
be understood as a fine adjustment of values, where the readings are checked against the values
of Precision Attenuator.
Isolator:
This removes the signal that is not required to reach the detector mount. Isolator allows the
signal to pass through the waveguide only in one direction.
Frequency Meter: .
This is the device which measures frequency of the signal. With this frequency meter, the signal
can be adjusted to its resonance frequency. It also gives provision to couple the signal to
waveguide.
Standing Wave Indicator:
An electric indicating instrument used for detecting a standing electromagnetic wave along a
transmission line or in a waveguide and measuring the resulting standingwave ratio; it can als
o be used to measure the wavelength. The standing wave voltmeter provides the reading of
standing wave ratio in dB.

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Slotted Line:
In a microwave transmission line or waveguide, the electromagnetic field is considered as the
sum of incident wave from the generator and the reflected wave to the generator. The reflections
indicate a mismatch or a discontinuity. The magnitude and phase of the reflected wave depends
upon the amplitude and phase of the reflecting impedance. The slotted line consists of a slotted
section of a transmission line, where the measurement has to be done[2] .
Tunable Detector:
The tunable detector is a detector mount which is used to detect the low frequency square wave
modulated microwave signals.

1.2 Block Diagram

In this experiment,the whole process can be explored through a block diagram in Fig.1.1.

Wavemeter Power meter

Microwave Source Calibrated Attenuator

Waveguide
Termination
Rx Horn Antenna

Tx Horn Antenna

Crystal Mount

Stand

Figure 1.1: A Microwave System.

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1.3 Observations and Discussion

In this experiment we observed microwave trainer kit named LRL Model 550B-SS. It has 3
drawers – Top drawer,middle drawer and bottom drawer.Each drawer consists diffferent types
of microwave componenets.They are given below.

Top Drawer Components

1. LRL 512- Directional coupler 4. LRL 506- Flap Attenuator

Figure 1.2: Directional coupler. Figure 1.4: Flap Attenuator.

2. LRL 513B-Fixed Attenuator 5. LRL 504-Frequency meter

Figure 1.2: Fixed Attenuator.

Figure 1.5: Frequency meter.

3. LRL 506- Flap Attenuator 6. LRL 515-RG Cables

Figure 1.3: Flap Attenuator. Figure 1.6:RG cables.

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 Middle Drawer Components

1. LRL 508- Thermistor mount 4. LRL 518- Detector mount

Figure 1.7: Thermistor mount. Figure 1.10: Detector mount.

2. LRL 531- Horn antenna

5. LRL 517-Slotted line tuner

Figure 1.8:Horn antenna.

Figure 1.11: Slotted line tuner.

3. LRL 507-Termination
6. LRL 505-Slotted line detector

Figure 1.9: Termination.

Figure 1.12: Slotted line detector.

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7. LRL 521- E-H Plane 8. LRL 532- Shorting plate

Figure 1.13: E-H Plane. Figure 1.14: Shorting plate.

Bottom Drawer Components

1. LRL 523 Waveguide stands

Figure 1.15: Waveguide stands

2. LRL 523 Waveguide stands

Figure1.16: RG 9 cables.

3. 723 Klyston tube,LRL 503A-Mount

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Transmission Line Trainer (IT-4411A):
Line frequency-50-60 Hz
AC supply-220V
Features:
• It is self-contained easy to operate trainer
• On board line, terminating resistance and test generator
• Functional blocks indicated
• Build-in power supply
• Compact size
Technical Specification:
• Transmission line- Coaxial cable 100m (24m*4)
• Impedance- 0-100Ω (2 NOS) • Sine wave- 40kHz- 400kHz
• Square wave- 400kHz-4MHz
• Power consumption- 3VA (App)
• Intercom- 4mm, Gold plated pins.

Figure 1.17: Transmission Line Trainer (IT-4411A).

Power Supply Unit:

• Power rating- 200VA
• Frequency- 50Hz
• Power supply- 220V

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 Figure 1.18: Power Supply Unit.
FSK Modulator:
• Data rate- 4800, 9600, 14400BPS
• Carrier frequency- 2.4GHz

1.4 Conclusion
In this experiment we had observed different types of microwave components which used in
microwave system.We also learned about their specifications,features and uses by the help of
our teacher.However,all the objectives are achieved and the experiment is done successfully.

References:
[1] www.google.com
[2] https://www.tutorialspoint.com/

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