Microwave Phase Shifters and
Attenuators
Abstract Attenuators are usually passive devices made
from simple voltage divider networks. Switching between
different resistances forms adjustable stepped attenuators
and continuously adjustable ones using potentiometers.
Fixed attenuators in circuits are used to lower voltage,
dissipate power, and to improve impedance matching. In
measuring signals, attenuator pads or adapters are used to
lower the amplitude of the signal a known amount to
enable measurements, or to protect the measuring device
from signal levels that might damage it. Microwave Phase
Shifter is a device designed to alter the phase of
electromagnetic oscillations at the output of a microwave
transmission line with respect to the phase ph of the
oscillations at the input of the line. The phase shift is
achieved by changing the electrical length of the line.
Phase Shifters are devices, in which the phase of an
electromagnetic wave of a given frequency can be shifted
when propagating through ugh a transmission line. In many
fields of electronics, it is often necessary to change the
phase of signals. Microwave Phase Shifters have many
applications in various equipments such as phase
discriminators, beam forming networks, power dividers,
linearization
zation of power amplifiers, and phase array
antennas.
Keywords Attenuators, Phase Shifters
I. INTRODUCTION
A) Attenuators
An attenuator is a device used to reduce the strength or
amplitude of a signal. The passivessive elements used to
control the amount of microwave power transferred from
one point to another on a microwave transmission line are
microwave attenuators. Generally, these elements control
the flow of microwave power either by reflecting and or
absorbing it in some dissipated elements, Attenuator
Attenuators may
be fixed or variable, depending on the requirements.
II. TYPES OF ATTENUATORS
A) Fixed Attenuators
The fixed attenuator as shown in figure consists of
dissipative element placed in a section of waveguide with
its plane parallel to the electric field,
d, and at the position
where the electric field of the dominant TE10 mode is
maximum. The dissipating element is generally in the form
of a card or pad. The card is held parallel to the electric
field by means of two thin metal rods.
The minimize reflections, ns, the rods are held normal to the
electric field and spaced quarter-wave
quarter length apart, and the
ends of the pad are tapered. When a dominant TE10 mode
enters the waveguide attenuators, the electric field
tangential to the pad causes a dissipative current and is thus
absorbed. The amount of microwave power thus dissipated
or the attenuation produced depends upon the strength of
electric field i.e. location of the pd within the waveguide,
area of the pad intercepted by the electric field and
frequency.
Fig:: Fixed type flap or card attenuators
B) Variable Attenuators
1) Variable-Position-Type
Type Attenuator
The variable-position-type
type attenuator is shown in figure. A
knob and gears control the movement of the card from the
wall to the center.. The amount of attenuation introduced is
controlled by charging the position occupied by the
absorbing plate inside the waveguide, moving the plate
from the narrow wall towards the waveguide axis, thus
producing an increase in attenuation, which becomes
maximum
aximum when the plate is moved in the region of
maximum electric field intensity, i.e. along the axis.
2) Variable-Pad-Area
Area Attenuator
The second type of waveguide variable attenuator is the
variable-pad-area
area attenuator shown in figure. It consists of
a slotted
otted waveguide section. The slot is on the center line
of the broad wall and so causes no radiation loss. The
attenuation is varied by changing the depth of insertion and
hence the intercepted pad area of an absorptive flap into the
waveguide through the slot. The attenuation is maximum
when the resistive pad or flap extends all the way across
the guide and decreases continuously while the card is Or the attenuation is
withdrawn. A suitable deriving mechanism and a dial may A = - 20 log10 cos2
be attached to the flap in order to read and caliberat
caliberate the A = - 40 log10 cos db
attenuator. It is clear that the attenuation depends only on the
angle of rotation . This suggests that the attenuator
may be precisely caliberated as that the scale will not
be linear.

Fig: Variable attenuator

3) Precision-Type
Type Variable Attenuators

The most satisfactory precision attenuator is the variable

rotary attenuator depicted in figure. It comprises the
following components:

The first part is the tapered recta rectangular to circular

waveguide transition having an attenuating pad placed
parallel to the broad wall of the rectangular rectang
waveguide. This component transforms with
negligible reflections, the dominant TE10 mode in the
rectangular waveguide to a TE11 mode in a cylindrical
waveguide. The orthogonal polarization of the TE11
mode, having its electric field parallel to the plane of
the attenuating pad is absorbed while the other
polarization having electric field perpendicular to the
plane of the pad passes unattenuated.uated.
The second part is a plane, circular waveguide
section. This section only changes the reference
polarization (ports) as shown in the equivalent circuit
circuit.
The third and the main component of the instrument
is a rotatable circular waveguide section having hav
tapered resistive pad. At the minimum attenuation
condition, the plane of this pad in the same as that of
the pad in the component. If the plane of the pad in
the section(c) is rotated through an angle, the electric
field component E cos , parallel to the resistive pad,
will be absorbed while the electric perpendicular to
the resistive pad E cos passes unaffected.
The fourth component is symmetrical with section
(b).
The fifth component is symmetrical section (a).
The electric field E cos coming out makes an angle
(90o - )) with the resistive pad of the section(e),
consequently, the normal component
compone of this electric
field, i.e. (E cos ) cos = = E cos2 passes
unattenuated, while the tangential component (E cos
) sin is absorbed. The power transmitted is,
therefore, given by
Ptrans = 1/R |E cos2 |2 = Pincident cos2
Fig: Precision variable attenuator (a) Component from with working
principle (b) Equivalent circuit
B) Microwave Phase Shifter
The microwave phase shifter is an instrument that produces
desired change in the phase of a propagating wave without
any attenuation. When a wave propagates on a line, a phase
difference prevails between any two arbitrary points along
its path. Usually, it is constant, and is determined by the
velocity of propagation. The phase difference between two
a points, L distance apart can be written as
= 2 - 1 = L = (2/ )*L
It is noted that D<<p may be varied by varying the velocity
of propagation.
III. TYPES OF PHASE SHIFTERS
A) Dielectric Phase Shifter
A simplest waveguide phase shifter consists of a
rectangular waveguide loaded with a dielectric slab of
thickness t, height h, and dielectric constant e in such a
way that dimension h is parallel to the electric
e field of the
dominant TE10 mode as shown in figure. The inserted
dielectric reduces the velocity of propagation of
microwaves which results in an increased electrical path
and, hence, a phase delay.

Fig:: Waveguide loaded with a dielectric slab
B) Precision Rotary Phase Shifter
A precision rotary phase shifter is shown in figure. The
instrument consists of two rectangular to circular
waveguide tapered transitions, together with two quarter-
quarter
wave sections on both sides of the free rotatable central
half wave section. The quarter-wave
wave sections are oriented
at an angle 45o relative to the broad wall of the rectangular
waveguide. The incoming linearly polarized TE11 mode is
decomposed into two modes polarized parallel and
perpendicular to the quarter wave section. When a half
wave section happens to be in its zero set position, the
outgoing wave suffers a total phase of 90o + 180o = 270o.
Consequently, the wave going out of the second quarter-
quarter
wave section suffers a total phase of 270o + 90o = 360o, i.e.
no phase change under ideal conditions. However, when
the central half wave section is rotated by an angle the
outgoing wave suffers a phase delay of 2.
2 VI. REFERENCES
The basic operation
peration of the device can be understood with
reference to figure which explicitly shows all the
components except transitions.
Fig:: Precision rotary phase shifter
IV. APPLICATIONS/USES
Attenuator perform function as well as maintaining the
characteristic impedance of the system.
Attenuator provides signal reduction.
Attenuator are adjustable and with great precision and
used in antennas, amplifiers, oscillators etc.
Phase shifters are used in variety of communication
c
and radar systems.
Phase shifters are used in microwave instrumentation
and measurement systems.
Phase shifters are used in industrial applications.
V. CONCLUSION
Phased array radars are used for inertia less scanning and
tracking. They as welll can be used for multi target tracking.
Phased arrays can also be used for air traffic control at the
airports. Other than defence applications, phase shifters are
finding their place in routine life. An American company is
working on a project where phasedphas arrays are used for
finding the blind stops on road while driving. With such
high tech commercial application, driving on road will be
safer. The phase shifter technology for phased arrays has
no limitation either in defence applications or in our daily
life. Attenuator stabilize circuits that are sensitive to load
impedance variations. They are used as filters and
oscillators and designers place a resistive attenuator in
output line to swamp out impedance variations.
[1] http://gmcatalog.kratosmed.com/app_notes_iqv_p
haseshift
[2] http://www.microwaves101.com/encyclopedias/ph
ase-shifters
[3] Microwave engineering by M.L Sisodia
[4] Foundation for microwave Engineering
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase_shift_module
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attenuator_(electron
ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attenuator_(electron
ics)