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Transmission Media and Antenna Systems G

WAVEGUIDES
WAVEGUIDES
WA VEGUIDES

Expcerts of presentation materials,

not in MIT Lecture Notes
2016 © Jose Cardenas

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Topic 13
• What are waveguides; why use them
• Rectangular w.g
– TE TM dominant mode, cut-off frequency, guided wavelenght
– Cross sectional or transverse view of electric and magnetic fields
– Ridged w,g,
• Circular w.g.
– Bessel constants
– TE TM dominant mode, cut-off frequency, guided wavelenght
– Cross sectional or transverse view of electric and magnetic fields
• Problem solving examples: rectangular and cylindrical guides

• Other types: Dielectric w.g, Elliptical w.g. Planar waveguides: strip

line, micro-strip line, pedestal w.g., sectoral w.g., others, excluding
fiber optics
• Waveguide accessories: joints, bends, probes, coupling loops;
discontinuities

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WAVEGUIDE
• JJ Thomson (discoverer of electron) in 1893 proposed structure for guiding
waves later tested by OJ Lodge in 1894
• A specially constructed hollow metallic pipes or system of conductors and
insulators for carrying electromagnetic waves.
• They are used for microwave frequencies for the same purposes as
transmission lines were used for lower frequencies.

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Waveguides
• Reasons for using waveguide rather than coaxial cable at
microwave frequency:
– easier to fabricate
– no solid dielectric and I2R losses
– Power handling
• Waveguides do not support TEM waves inside because of
boundary conditions.
• Waves travel zig-zag down the waveguide by bouncing
from one side wall to the other.

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Metallic Waveguides & Resonators

In the microwave region it is difficult to

Stub length =  / 4 employ conventional LC circuits. Example:
Z = at resonance.
using the smallest practical C at 1 pF, L will
have to be 2.53 x 10-10 H to achieve
resonance at 10 Ghz. This is about less than
a turn for a wire 1mm thick.

transmission line Act as high pass filters with f as cut-off frequency

Band widens, resonant

The comparison of the way EM works in frequency is higher.
2-wire line and in a w.g. is not exact.

Lord Rayleigh proved mathematically wave propagation in waveguides of rectangular and circular geometry
in 1897. He also noted the existence of cutoff frequencies. The experiment confirmations where presented in
1936 by G. C. Southworth and W. L. Barrow

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Rectangular Waveguide

More stubs added A metallic waveguide consists of a

dielectric material such as air
surrounded by metallic material,
such as copper, in which oscillating
electromagnetic energy is
propagated at a frequency higher
than a certain value known as the
cut-off frequency.
determines range of operating frequencies

fc = c/2a is valid only for an air-filled

waveguide propagating signal at
the dominant mode of TE10.

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TE and TM Modes

• TEmn mode has the E-field entirely transverse, i.e.

perpendicular, to the direction of propagation.
• TMmn mode has the H-field entirely transverse to the
direction of propagation.
• All TEmn and TMmn modes are theoretically permissible
except, in a rectangular waveguide, TMm0 or TM0n modes
are not possible since the magnetic field must form a
closed loop.
• In practice, only the dominant mode, TE10 is used, where
a > b; in some reviewers TE01 this is for a < b; for
cylindrical w.g. TE11

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Dominant Mode of Operation

• The most natural mode of operation for a waveguide, this mode is the lowest possible
frequency that can be propagated
• For a waveguide’s mode of operation, the two submodes are:
TEmn for the transverse electric mode.
TMmn for the transverse magnetic mode.

A
Where: m – number of half-wavelength across
waveguide width (the a dimension)
n – number of half-wavelength along
waveguide height (the b dimension)

Z
g


fc f
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E-Field Pattern of TE1 0 Mode

a g/2
End View Side View
TEmn means there are m number of half-wave variations
of the transverse E-field along the “a” side and n number
of half-wave variations along the “b” side.
The magnetic field (not shown) forms closed loops
horizontally around the E-field
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Wavelength for TE & TM Modes

Cutoff wavelength:
 Any signal with  > c will not propagate down
the waveguide.
 For air-filled waveguide, cutoff freq., fc = c/c
 TE10 is called the dominant mode since c = 2a
is the longest wavelength of any mode, where a > b.

Guide wavelength:

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Waveguides
All equations in SI units

RECTANGULAR WAVEGUIDE Andrews EW20

fc = (1/(2 )) ((m/a)2 + (n/b)2)
g =  / (1-(fc/f)2)
g = () ((1-(fc/f)2) Elliptical W.G.

vg = (1-(fc/f)2) / ()
v2 = vp x vg Dominant Mode - mode
sin  = v / vp =  /  0 where the signal propagates
in a given wave guide at the
Note: Some books assumes that the lowest possible frequency.
longer dimension is always “a”
irrespective of guide orientation; fc = c/2a,
and λc=2a are valid only for an air-filled
waveguide propagating signal in the
dominant mode of TE10.

λo = 1.7d is valid only for an air-filled waveguide

propagating signal at the dominant mode of TE11.

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Other Formulas for TE & TM Modes

Group velocity:

Phase velocity:

Wave impedance:
Zo = 377 W for air-filled
waveguide
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WG: Examples and Seatwork

Given: An air-filled w.g. with dimensions of 3.5 cm X 7.0 cm at 4 Ghz.

Find: 1. The greatest number of half waves of E which it will be possible

to establish w/in the guide
Since b > a,
fc the we
= (1/(2 are
)) looking
((m/a) 2 + (n/b)2)
for the largest value of n
g =  / (1-(fc/f)2)
λ = 7.5 cm g = () ((1-(fc/f)2)
vg = (1-(fc/f)2) / ()
When n = 1, λ = 14 cm
v2 = vp x vg g
n = 2, λg = 7 cm < 7.5, will not propagate

2. The cut-off frequency of the dominant mode fc = vo/2b

First determine the mode w/ lowest fc, TE01 = 2.14 Ghz
3. Velocity of Energy Flow, for TE01 vg = vo√(1-(fc/f)2)
= 2.54
Note: Somex 10 8 m/s
books assumes
that the longer dimension is
always “a” irrespective of
4. The guided wavelength, for TE01  = /√(1-(f /f)2) this is NOT
guide orientation,
g c
the case in this lecture!
= 8.88 cm.
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Circular/Cylindrical Waveguides
• Differences versus rectangular waveguides :
· lc = 2pr/Bnm where r = waveguide radius, and Bnm is obtained from
table of Bessel functions.
– All TEnm and TMnm modes are supported since m and n subscripts
are defined differently.
– Dominant mode is TE11.
• Advantages: higher power-handling capacity, lower attenuation for a
given cutoff wavelength.
• Disadvantages: larger and heavier.

Cylindrical ~ TEnm Mode

λo = 1.7d is valid only for an air-filled waveguide propagating signal at the dominant mode of TE11.

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pth 0 of the Bessel Function of the 1st Kind

n ~ full wave pattern over circumference
m ~ half wave pattern over diameter
Dominant Mode p’nm for TEnm
TE/m n=0 n=1 n=2 n=3 n=4 n=5
1 3.832 1.841 3.054 4.201 5.317 6.416
2 7.016 5.331 6.706 8.015 9.232 10.520
3 10.173 8.536 9.969 11.346 12.682 13.987
4 13.324 11.706 13.170

Symmetrical Mode pnm for TMnm o = 2  r / p’nm

TM/m n=0 n=1 n=2 n=3 n=4 n=5

1 2.405 3.832 5.136 6.380 7.588 8.771
2 5.520 7.106 8.417 9.761 11.065 12.339
3 8.645 10.173 11.620 13.015 14.372
4 11.792 13.324 14.796

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Other Types of Waveguides

A dielectric waveguide is a waveguide that consists of a dielectric
material surrounded by another dielectric material, such as air, glass,
or plastic, with a lower refractive index.
Advantage of dielectric wave guides
 Quick, medium loss, connection of
metallic waveguides at mm-wavelengths
 Dielectric rod of rectangular or circular
cross section made from High Density
Polyethylene HDPE and Teflon PTFE
 Compromise between “large” metallic
guides and high-loss microstrip and
similar guides

 Ridged waveguide allows use for

a given size at lower frequencies
 Flexible waveguide is used for special
applications, e.g.: temporary connections
such as during equipment testing.

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Field Patterns for Rectangular and Circular

Waveguide

John Henry Poynting

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Planar Waveguide
Also called lab waveguides, consists of three
layers of materials with different dielectric constants,
extending infinitely in the directions parallel to their
interfaces.

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Let us consider the simpler case of a rectangular slab

of waveguide.

Snell’s Law of Reflection

Snell’s Law of Refraction

Refracted
wave

Incident Total internal

Incident
Critical Angle: wave reflection
Reflected wave
wave

When the incident angle is greater than the critical angle, the wave is totally
reflected back and this phenomenon is known as Total internal reflection. 20
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Dielectric Waveguide
Index of refraction:
The index of refraction, n, is the ratio of the speed of light in a
vacuum to the speed of light in the unbounded medium, or

Where

In nonmagnetic material

Snell’s Law of Refraction can be expressed in terms of refractive index:

Critical
Angle:

Snell’s Law of Refraction:

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Dielectric Waveguide
Example

A slab of dielectric with index of refraction 3.00 sits in air. What is the relative
permittivity of the dielectric? At what angle from a normal to the boundary will
light be totally reflected within the dielectric? (Ans: 9, 19.5)

What is the relative permittivity of the dielectric?

At what angle from a normal to the boundary

will light be totally reflected within the
dielectric?

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Dielectric Waveguide
TE wave
The reflection coefficient of a TE plane wave is Ex Hz
given by
TE wave
Hy

TE modes (50 mm thick dielectric of r = 4 or

n=2 operating at 4.5 GHz)
Using Snell’s Law of refraction
LHS

(A) RHS
(B) (C)

For this example only three TE

Possible modes can be obtained by evaluating
modes are possible;
the phase expression for various values of m.
RHS A) TE0 at i = 74.4,
LHS B) TE1 at i = 57.9, and
C) TE2 at i = 39.8.
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Dielectric Waveguide
TM wave
The reflection coefficient of a TM plane wave is
given by
TM wave

TM modes (50 mm thick dielectric of r

= 4 or n=2 operating at 4.5 GHz)
Using Snell’s Law of refraction
LHS

(A)
RHS
(B)
Possible modes can be obtained by evaluating (C)
the phase expression for various values of m.
LHS RHS
For this example only three TM
modes are possible;
A) TM0 at i = 71.6,
B) TM1 at i = 52, and
C) TM2 at i = 33.
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Dielectric Waveguide
RHS RHS for various m
LHS

A larger ratio of n1/n2 results in

a) a lower critical angle and therefore
b) more propagating modes.

For single mode operation:

(or)
Using

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Dielectric Waveguide
Example

Suppose a polyethylene dielectric slab of thickness 100 mm exists in air.

What is the maximum frequency at which this slab will support only one
mode?
For polyethylene

The maximum frequency at which this

slab will support only one mode is

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Waveguides in ICs
Planar w.g. supporting TEM

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Micro-strip Line
Like FOC, total internal reflection
applies for micro-strip line, the
slab of dielectric has high
relative permittivity than
surrounding free space.

The critical angle for both TE

and TM waves are the same.
Types of losses
dielectric
ohmic (copper)
radiation << major problem
w t

Zo ≈ 377/√(εr T/W)
h
B
60 2 r
Zo  r
SOURCE: Waypoint Software EE Ref, 1995

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Other Types of Waveguides
A dielectric waveguide is a waveguide that consists of a dielectric
material surrounded by another dielectric material, such as air, glass,
or plastic, with a lower refractive index. An example of a dielectric
waveguide is an optical fiber.
Advantage of dielectric wave guides
 Quick, medium loss, connection of
metallic waveguides at mm-wavelengths
 Dielectric rod of rectangular or circular
cross section made from High Density
Polyethylene HDPE and Teflon PTFE
 Compromise between “large” metallic
guides and high-loss microstrip and
similar guides

 Ridged waveguide allows use for

a given size at lower frequencies
 Flexible waveguide is used for special
applications, e.g.: temporary connections
such as during equipment testing.

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Dielectric Waveguide
Field Equations: The field equations can be obtained by solving Maxwell’s equations
with the appropriate boundary conditions.
Even Modes:
1
1

2 2

3 3

Odd Modes:
1 1

2 2

3 3

The phase constant in medium 1 is

The attenuation in medium 2 is
The propagation velocity is

The effective wavelength in the guide is

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Dielectric Waveguide
Example
Find e and up at 4.5 GHz for the TE0 mode in a 50 mm thick n1 = 2.0 dielectric
in air. (Ans: 35 mm and 1.6 x 108 m/s)

From Fig. 7.16, the critical incident angle

for the TE0 mode

TE0 at i = 74.4

The effective wavelength in the guide is

The propagation velocity is

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Launching of Signal
Mode Excitation: Coupling of Fields
Capacitive Coupling Probe monopole antenna establishes E field
Inductive Coupling Loop loop antenna establishes M field
Aperture Coupling Slot radiating slot.

λg/4
Law of Reciprocality: a device that excites
can serve as receiver or energy collector
at that mode. λg/4
Matching done by:
• varying positions & penetration
• use of different shapes
• using matching stub on co-axial feed.

Choke-point Flange to couple

a waveguide to another, but
how do you get the signal in
there in the 1st place?.
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Mode Excitation
Examples g/4, adjusted in practice
TE10 TE10 TE20
g/4 180 for best result

TM11
coupling loop is used
probe is used
also TE10, others!
redundant

waveguide @ TE10
g /4 g /4

Probes

Co-axial T.L.
/4
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Inductive Apertures
TE10 as dominant mode and single discontinuity only; normalized values
Do not expect these in exams assumption aspect ratio > 1 or a > b

j (a/g) tan2 ((d/(2a)) (1+(1/6) 2d2/2)) ; d/a << 1

j (a/g) cot2 [2 (a-d/a) [1+(82/3) (a-d)2/2]];
d for (a-d)/a <<1

j 2a3/(2g(a-d)2) [1+(2/2)(a-d)2 ln /2 a-d/a]-1

for (a-d)/a << 1
Example: A 1 cm
symmetrical inductive
j 2  d3 / (3 ab g ) ; d << b aperture in a 6 cm x 7 cm
w.g., at 2.142 Ghz has
z/z0  ? Ω reactance.
j10.75

when a’/b’ [[1-(/2a’)2]] = a/b [[1-(/2a)2]]

a’

<< means much less than Normally placed where H is strong.

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Capacitive Apertures & Ridges

TE10 as dominant mode and single discontinuity only; normalized
Do not expect these in exams
<< means much less than

-j (g/(4b)) (ln (2b/(d) + b2/(2g)))-1 ; d/b << 1

-j (2b g/2)(b-d)2 ; (b-d) / b << 1

d same as above but replace g with g/2

Ba/Yo = (4b/g)(M+(2b/ g)2N)+(b/d)tan(2L/ g)

Bb/Yo = (b/d)csc((4L)/ g)

b h z where L = thickness

a
d=b–h M and N depends on geometry of obstacle
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Tuning Post @ TE10

TE10 as dominant mode and single discontinuity only
Do not expect these in exams
sin (2kh) ln (2d/r) – k (2d-r)(2+cos 2kh )
jx = j ( 2 d2  g /( a3 b )) ( 1 – cos kh)2
k = 2 / 
d d < a/2
x

h
h   / 4 – (d - r) / (2 ln (2d / r))

normalize
r
b z RESONANCE

a x

0.1 0.2 0.3 h/

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Sample Problems
1. A wave is propagated in a parallel-plane waveguide. The frequency is 9GHz,
and the plane separator is 5 cm. Calculate:
a) The cutoff wavelength for the dominant mode.
b) The wavelength in a waveguide.
2. A rectangular waveguide is 4.5 cm by 3 cm. Calculate the cut-off frequency of
the dominant mode.
3. A rectangular waveguide measures 5 x 4 cm and has a 9GHz signal propagated
in it. Calculate the cut-off wavelength, the guide wavelength, the group and
phase velocities and the characteristics impedance for the TE10 mode.

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Sample Problems
4. 4. A waveguide has an internal width a of 6 cm, and carries the dominant
mode of a signal of unknown frequency. If the characteristic impedance is
450 W, what is the frequency?

5. Calculate the numerical aperture and the maximum angle of acceptance for
a fiber with core and cladding refraction indices of 1.6 and 1.4 respectively.

6. Determine the critical angle for a glass (n=1.7)/quartz (n=1.3) interface. If

the angle of incidence is 38o determine the angle of refraction.

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