Directional Couplers

Jolly Rajendran
Department of ECE
r jolly@cb.amrita.edu

August 12, 2016

Jolly Rajendran (ECE, ASE)

ECE 464 Microstrip Devices & Circuits

August 12, 2016

1 / 15

Directional Couplers
A directional coupler is a reciprocal four-port device, which provides
two amplitude outputs when a signal is applied to its input.

Figure: Two commonly used symbols for directional couplers, and power
flow conventions.

Directional couplers are frequently used in dividers, combiners,

attenuators, phase shifters, balanced amplifiers and feed networks in
antenna arrays.
Jolly Rajendran (ECE, ASE)

ECE 464 Microstrip Devices & Circuits

August 12, 2016

2 / 15

Directional Couplers
The scattering matrix of a reciprocal
ports is given by:

0 S12
S21 0
S =
S31 S23
S14 S24

Jolly Rajendran (ECE, ASE)

four-port network matched at all

S13 S14
S23 S24

0 S34
S34 0

ECE 464 Microstrip Devices & Circuits

(1)

August 12, 2016

3 / 15

Directional Couplers
If the network

S
12
StS =
S13
S14

is lossless, S matrix will be unitary.

1
0 S12
S13
S14
S12 S13 S14

0
S
0
S
S
0 S23 S24
23
24 =
12

0
S23
0 S34
S23 0 S34 S13

0
S14 S24 S34 0
S24 S34 0

0
1
0
0

S23 S13
+ S24 S14
=0

S13 S14
+ S23 S24
=0

S23 S12
+ S34 S14
=0

S12 S14 + S23 S34 = 0

|S12 |2 + |S13 |2 + |S14 |2 =
|S12 |2 + |S23 |2 + |S24 |2 =
|S13 |2 + |S23 |2 + |S34 |2 =
|S14 |2 + |S24 |2 + |S34 |2 =
Jolly Rajendran (ECE, ASE)

ECE 464 Microstrip Devices & Circuits

0 0
0 0

1 0
0 1
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

(10)
August 12, 2016

4 / 15

Directional Couplers
Eqn(4) S gives:
Eqn(3) S24
13



S14
|S24 |2 |S13 |2 = 0

(11)

Eqn(4) S12 Eqn(5) S34 gives:



S23 |S12 |2 |S34 |2 = 0

(12)

One way to satisfy Equation [11] and [12] is if S14 = S23 = 0.

Substituting this in Equation (7) to (10) becomes:
|S12 |2 + |S13 |2 = 1

(13)

|S12 |2 + |S24 |2 = 1

(14)

(15)

(16)

|S13 | + |S34 | = 1
|S24 | + |S34 | = 1
Equation [13] to [16] implies |S13 | = |S24 | and |S12 | = |S34 |
Jolly Rajendran (ECE, ASE)

ECE 464 Microstrip Devices & Circuits

August 12, 2016

5 / 15

Directional Couplers
Thus the S matrix becomes:

0 S12 S13 0
S12 0
0 S24

S =
S13 0
0 S12
0 S24 S12 0

(17)

Let S12 = S34 = ; S13 = e j ; S24 = e j . Thus the S matrix

becomes:

e j
0

0
0
e j

(18)
S =
e j
0
0

0
e j

0
If the network is lossless, the S matrix has to be unitary. Thus it
follows from Equation (13):
2 + 2 = 1
Jolly Rajendran (ECE, ASE)

ECE 464 Microstrip Devices & Circuits

(19)
August 12, 2016

6 / 15

Directional Couplers
Power supplied to port 1 is coupled to port 3 (the coupled port) with
coupling factor |S13 |2 = 2 while the remainder of the input power is
delivered to port 2 (the through port) with coefficient
|S12 |2 = 2 = 1 2 .
The quantities that characterize a directional coupler are:
1
2
3
4

() (dB)
Coupling C = 10log P1
P3 = 20log 
P3
(dB)
Directivity D = 10log P4 = 20log |S14 |
Isolation I = 10log P1
(dB)
P4 = 20log (|S14 |)
P1
Insertion Loss L = 10log P2 = 20log (|S12 |) (dB)

I =D +C

Jolly Rajendran (ECE, ASE)

ECE 464 Microstrip Devices & Circuits

August 12, 2016

7 / 15

Directional Couplers
For a symmetric coupler, = =

0 j 0
0 0 j

S =
j 0 0
0 j 0

(20)

For an antisymmetric coupler, = 0; =

0
0

0 0

S =
j 0 0
0 0

Jolly Rajendran (ECE, ASE)

ECE 464 Microstrip Devices & Circuits

(21)

August 12, 2016

8 / 15

Hybrid Couplers
For a hybrid coupler, the coupling factor is 3 dB. Thus = =

1 .
2

Hybrid couplers are of two types:

1

Quadrature hybrid = =

0 1 j 0
1 1 0 0 j

S=
2 j 0 0 1
0 j 1 0
2

Magic T hybrid and rat-rice hybrid

0
1
1
S=

1
2
0

Jolly Rajendran (ECE, ASE)

(22)

= 0; =

1 1 0
0 0 1

0 0 1
1 1 0

ECE 464 Microstrip Devices & Circuits

(23)

August 12, 2016

9 / 15

Branch line coupler

Figure: Branch line coupler

0
1
j
S=

1
2
0

j
0
0
1

1
0
0
j

0
1

j
0

(24)

3 dB directional coupler
900 phase difference between the through and coupled arms
Often made in microstrip or stripline form.
Jolly Rajendran (ECE, ASE)

ECE 464 Microstrip Devices & Circuits

August 12, 2016

10 / 15

Branch line coupler

Design a branch line coupler for 1.42 GHz. Given the relative
permittivity = 4.4, thickness of dielectric substrate (h) = 1.6 mm.

Jolly Rajendran (ECE, ASE)

Figure:
Branch line coupler
ECE 464 Microstrip Devices & Circuits

August 12, 2016

11 / 15

Rat-rice hybrid coupler

Figure: Hybrid ring coupler

0 1
j
1 0
S=

2 1 0
0 1

1 0
0 1

0 1
1 0

(25)

1800 phase shift between the two output ports.

Port 1 is the sum port and Port 4 is the difference port.
A signal applied at Port 1 is evenly split into two-in phase
components at Port 2 and Port 3. Port 4 is isolated.
A signal applied at Port 4 is evenly split into two components of 1800
phase shift at Port 2 and Port 3. Port 1 is isolated.

Jolly Rajendran (ECE, ASE)

ECE 464 Microstrip Devices & Circuits

August 12, 2016

12 / 15

Rat-rice hybrid coupler

Figure: Hybrid ring coupler

Design a hybrid ring coupler for 1.42 GHz. Given the relative
permittivity = 4.4, thickness of dielectric substrate (h) = 1.6 mm.

Jolly Rajendran (ECE, ASE)

ECE 464 Microstrip Devices & Circuits

August 12, 2016

13 / 15

References

Pozar, David M. Microwave engineering. John Wiley & Sons, 2009.

Maloratsky, Leo. Passive RF & microwave integrated circuits. Elsevier, 2003.

Jolly Rajendran (ECE, ASE)

ECE 464 Microstrip Devices & Circuits

August 12, 2016

14 / 15

The End

Jolly Rajendran (ECE, ASE)

ECE 464 Microstrip Devices & Circuits

August 12, 2016

15 / 15