2-Way Power Dividers 6030400

Power Dividers: A power divider splits an input signal into two or more outputs that are usually, but not always, equal in amplitude and phase. Regardless of its type, the goal of every power divider is to have the greatest port-to-port isolation, lowest insertion loss and voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR), and least amplitude and phase imbalance over the entire frequency range of the device.

Insertion Loss is the net unrecoverable power in dB dissipated within the circuit at any frequency within the specified range.

VSWR is defined as the ratio of the maximum voltage to the minimum voltage in standing wave pattern along the length of a transmission line structure. It varies from 1 to (plus) infinity and is always positive.

Amplitude and Phase Tracking are the ratio of one output to the other in dB or degrees respectively.

Frequency Sensitivity is the amount of frequency change in the carrier frequency per unit amplitude change in the message signal.

Wilkinson Power Divider: Ernest Wilkinson, “N-way hybrid power divider,” was published in “Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE, now the IEEE) Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques” in 1960. The Wilkinson power divider was created in part as a solution to the problems of matching and isolation that are inherent in a typical T-junction divider, in which a large amount of the power reflected from port 2 enters port 3 and thus provides little isolation. The Wilkinson power divider employs quarter-wavelength transformers to divide the input signal. This design achievement made the reactive Wilkinson power divider a staple of RF and microwave design.