Planar N-way combiner/divider for microwave circuits

摘要

A microwave combiner/divider circuit instrumented in stripline medium and therefore planar in form. Circuit traces are produced by etching of a standard microwave printed circuit board having a conductive ground plane or base plate and a layer of low-loss insulation over which a copper layer is provided. A common signal port feeds a division point through a capacitive stub and a two-stage, ring-type impedance matching circuit. The multiple circuit traces emanating from the division point are arranged so that N individual branch ports are connected thereto. The stripline circuitry between the division point and the branch ports provide compensation for phase reversal. Resistors for branch port isolation connected within the stripline circuitry such that for equal loads or equal power sources connected to the branch ports (divider or combiner applications, respectively) zero currents flow in these resistors and they are therefore not required to provide a large power dissipating capability.