A Tutorial on TEM Transmission Lines

by

Chris Trask / N7ZWY

Sonoran Radio Research
P.O. Box 25240
Tempe, AZ 85285-5240
Email: christrask@earthlink.net
11 July 2005

Introduction line current balun other than 1:1 on a single core

when the windings have mutual coupling through
the core. [6]”
The concept of TEM transmission lines
has been a distinct element of electronics en- “I think the problem comes from the fact (that)
gineering for well over 70 years [1, 2]. The circuit engineers look at physical appearance, and
term TEM (Transverse ElectroMagnetic, also consider any two parallel conductors “transmis-
sion lines’...[7]”
known as Transverse Electric and Magnetic)
refers to a condition in which both the electric “Twisted pair, parallel lay, or coaxial...it only is
and magnetic fields are parallel to a bound- excited with TEM mode (transmission line mode
ary plane [3] and there are no longitudial com- energy transfer) when fed with differential voltages
ponents of either field. at the “start” of the pair, and currents are equal
and opposite [8].“

Other terms such as transverse electric “Coax does not always behave like a transmis-
(TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) refer to sion line, … [9]”
conditions in which the electric field or mag-
netic field, respectively, of a propagating wave “…those who think any two parallel or concentric
conductors when fed start-to-finish or end-to-end
is parallel to a boundary plane, in this case on one conductor forces a TEM mode are not
being the surface of the conductors of a trans- viewing the system correctly. [10]”
mission line, while at the same time the ac-
companying magnetic or electric fields, re- It is obvious from these remarks that
spectively, still have some longitudinal (or there are a number of misconceptions regard-
axial) components [4]. Both of these terms ing the general theory of TEM transmission
are normally associated with wave guides [3]. line, which are contrary to established
electromagnetics theory as well as engineer-
Misconceptions ing practice. These misconceptions are sub-
stantial obstacles in comprehending ad-
There are a number of misconceptions vanced applications of transmission lines,
regarding the theory and practical applica- such as the design of transmission line trans-
tions of TEM transmission line, especially formers.
coaxial cable, which include:
In order to avoid having these and other
“It is quite impossible to build a current balun of misconceptions regarding the theory and ap-
any ratio other than 1:1 using multiple transmis-
sion line transformers on a single core unless flux
plication of TEM transmission line become
leakage between transmission lines is terrible. [5]” widespread, I’ll provide here a brief tutorial
on the subject, beginning with an overview of
“It is physically impossible to build a transmission the fundaments of TEM theory as it applies to
1
 on the electromagnetics of TEM môde trans-
mission line do so in terms of the currents in
the conductors [12]. It only matters that the
conditions of equal and opposite currents and
equal voltages are met.

Generalised TEM Transmission Lines

Figure 1 - Transmission Line in Let’s examine the parameters that are
Transverse (TEM) Môde common to all forms of TEM môde transmis-
sion line, and we’ll later do a detailed study
of coaxial cable as it is the easiest to com-
TEM môde transmission lines, a generalisa- prehend since all of the electric and magnetic
tion of the parameters of TEM môde trans- fields are contained between the conductors
mission lines, and then a detailed look at co- when in TEM môde. For all types of TEM
axial cable, which is a very familiar and read- môde transmission lines (coaxial, parallel
ily understood form of TEM môde transmis- wire, twisted wire, waveguide, etc.) the equa-
sion line. tions have the same basic form. If R, L, G,
and C are the total series resistance, series
Essential Concepts inductance, shunt conductance, and shunt ca-
pacitance per unit length z, then the trans-
Fig. 1 illustrates the essential concept mission line may be expressed as [3]:
of TEM môde transmission line in general-
∂V
ised form, where the two lines represent the = − (R + jω L) I (1)
two conductors of the transmission line, re- ∂z
gardless of whether it is made of parallel
∂I
wires, twisted wires, coaxial cable, or other = − (G + jω C) V (2)
means. Here, the currents are equal in mag- ∂z
nitude and opposite in phase, which is con- which are derived from Maxwell’s theorems
sistent with Lenz’s Law [3, 4, 11], while the and equations [1, 3, 4]. We’ll dispense with
voltages along the length of the two conduc- the usual two or more chapters of differential
tors are equal in both magnitude and phase. calculus that normally bring us to this point.
This may also be seen to say that the voltage
across the two conductors is equal at all points From (1) and (2) we can derive the char-
along the transmission line. acteristic impedance Zo of the transmission
line as related to the primary constants R, L,
These are the conditions that excite TEM G, and C by [3]:
môde, which again is equal and opposite cur-
rents in the two conductors, which results in R + jω L
Zo =
no net magnetic field, and equal voltages ei- G + jω C (3)
ther along or across the two conductors, which
results on no net electric field. It is of no con- and the complex propagation constant γ can
sequence how the external exciting voltage be approximated as [3]:
or current is applied, either across the termi-
nals at one end or along the length of one γ = α + jβ =
side from one end to the other, and this point = (R + jω L) (G + jω C) (4)
is underscored by the fact that discussions
2
where α is called the attenuation constant and tive permeability µr. If the conductors are con-
β is called the phase constant. The primary sidered to be lossless as per our earlier
constants R, L, G, and C are directly related appoximation, the unit shunt capacitance C
to the physical properties of the materials is [12]:
used in the transmission line and remain un- 2π ε 55.6 ε r
affected by the application of the transmis- C = = pF / m (10)
 r   r 
sion line. ln  r 
2 ln  r 
2
1 1

For low-loss transmission line such as and the unit series inductance L is [12]:
good quality coaxial cable [3]: µ
ln  2 r  =
r
L =
2π 1
G 〈〈 ω C (5) (11)
= 0.2 µ r ln  2 r  µH / m
r
R 〈〈 ω L (6) 1
The unit series resistance R is related
and the characteristic impedance Zo of (3) can to the conductivity of the conductors, and is
be approximated as [3]: frequency dependent by way of a phenom-
L enon known as skin effect. We begin by first
Zo ≈ (7) defining a quantity known as the 1/e depth of
C
penetration [4, 12, 13]:
and the propagation constant γ of (4) can be
approximated as [3]: 2
δ ≈ (12)
ω µ v µr σ
γ ≈ jω L C (8)
where σ is the conductivity of the material.
The reciprocal of the square root of the The current in a conductor will always con-
product of L and C provides us with the ve- centrate on the surface that is nearest the
locity of propagation or phase velocity [3, 12]: wave that creates the current [12], and in the
ω 1 1 case of coaxial cable this is the electromag-
υp = = =
β LC µε (9) netic field that exists between the inner sur-
face of the outer conductor and the inner con-
where µ is the permeability of the transmis- ductor. At high frequencies the skin effect
sion line medium in Farads/meter (F/m) and causes the current to flow only on the outer
ε is the permitivity of the transmission line me- surface of the inner conductor and the inner
dium in Henries/meter (H/m) [3]. surface of the outer conductor [12], and this
condition persists as long as the thickness t
Coaxial Cable

Let’s now turn to the specific case of

coaxial cable, using the illustration of Fig. 2
as a guide. Here, the inner conductor has a
radius of r1 and the outer conductor has an
inner radius of r2 and a thickness of t. The
space between the inner and outer conduc-
tors is filled with an insulating dielectric ma-
terial such as PTFE that has a relative
permitivity (or dielectric constant) εr and a rela-
Figure 2 - Coaxial Transmission Line
3
of the outer conductor (see Fig. 2) is appreci- where c is the speed of light, µv is the perme-
ably greater than the skin depth. ability of free space (4π x 107 H/m). and εv is
the permitiviity of free space (8.854x10-12 F/
From (12) we can now define the sur- m). In general the relative permeability of
face resistance of the conducting material [3]: most, if not all insulating materials is close to
1 unity, so (10) can be comfortably approxi-
Rs = Ω (13) mated for coaxial cable as:
σδ
1
The unit shunt conductance is related VF ≈ (17)
εr
to the resistivity of the dielectric insulating ma-
terial, due to a phenomenon known as dielec- Coaxial cable is a good practical exam-
tric hysteresis, which is analagous to the mag- ple of TEM transmission line as the skin ef-
netic hysteresis in magnetic materials [4]. It fect of the inner surface of the outer conduc-
is convenient to describe the total losses of tor causes the current of the outer conductor
the transmission line as the equivalent con- to be concentrated on the inside surface. The
ductivity [4]: magnetic fields generated by the equal and
opposite currents of the concentric inner con-
σ ′ = σ + ω ε ′′ (14) ductor and the inner surface of the outer con-
duct cancel outside the outer conductor in
from which we can derive the loss tangent of both the near and far fields, leaving no net
the transmission line, which is [4]: magnetic field outside of the outer conductor
that would couple to nearby objects, such as
σ′
Ta n δ = (15) the magnetic core of a transmission line trans-
ω ε′ former, which would cause additional losses
where ε’ and ε” are often referred to as di- beyond those of the cable itself [12, 15].
electric dispersion formulas [4, 14], which are
very rigorous and very much beyond the Similar equations may be developed for
scope of this discussion. It is sufficient for parallel wire transmission line [1, 3, 4] as well
our purposes to use the loss tangent data as twisted wire transmission line [16], the lat-
provided by the manufacturer of the cable we ter of which is an important element in the
are using and from that derive the surface re- design of wideband transformers for RF ap-
sistance Rs. plications [17].

Going back to (9), we can define a quan- Advanced Applications

tity that is well known to radio amateurs, which
is the velocity factor of the cable: A thorough understanding of the basic
theory of TEM transmission line is essential
υp µv εv
VF = = = in comprehending advanced applications
c µε such as transmission line transformers (TLTs),
µv εv which operate by transmitting energy by way
1
= = (16) of the TEM transmission line môde rather than
µr µ v εr ε v µ r εr on the more familiar coupling of magnetic flux
as with a conventional transformer [18, 19].

4
 Closing Remarks

The theory of TEM transmission lines,

especially coaxial cable, is a well- established
element of RF design and has been part of
the technology for over 70 years. The equa-
tions are both well established and easily
understood, and have their foundations in
basic electromagnetic theory such as
Maxwell’s theorems and equations and Lenz’s
Law. A basic background in the theory of TEM
transmission line is an essential prerequisite
in understanding advanced topics such as
transmission line transformers, but not so dif-
ficult as to be beyond the understanding of
those having entry level experience in the pro-
fession of RF circuit design.

References

1. King, R.W.P., Transmission Line Theory, McGraw-Hill, 1955.

2. Schelkunoff, S.A., “The Electromagnetic Theory of Coaxial Transmission Lines and Cylindrical Shields,”
Bell System Technical Journal, Vol. 13, No. 10, October 1934, pp. 532-579 (reprinted as Monograph B-816).
3. Jordan, E.C. and K.G. Balmain, Electromagnetic Waves and Radiating Systems, 2nd ed., Prentice-Hall,
1968.
4. Kraus, J.D. and K.R. Carver, Electromagnetics, 2nd ed., McGraw-Hill, 1973.
5. Tom Rauch, 22 June 2005, http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/qrp-l/20050622/021408.html
6. Tom Rauch, 22 June 2005, http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/qrp-l/20050622/021442.html
7. Tom Rauch, 25 June 2005, http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/qrp-l/20050625/021618.html
8. Tom Rauch, 25 June 2005, http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/qrp-l/20050625/021626.html
9. Tom Rauch, 25 June 2005, http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/qrp-l/20050625/021626.html
10. Tom Rauch, 27 June 2005,
http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/academic/agriculture/agronomy/ham/ANTENNAS/20050630.ant
11. Marshall, S.V. and G.G. Skitek, Electromagnetic Concepts & Applications, 2nd ed., Prentice-Hall, 1987.
12. Matick, R.E., Transmission Lines for Digital and Communication Networks, McGraw-Hill, 1969.
13. Ramo, S., J.R. Whinnery, and T. van Duzer, Fields and Waves in Communication Electronics, 2nd ed.,
Wiley, 1984.
14. Debye, P., Polar Molecules, Dover, 1945.
15. Hamilton, N., “RF Transformers Part 2: The Core,” RF Design, January 1996, pp. 64-73.
16. Lefferson, P., “Twisted Magnet Wire TransmissionLine,” IEEE Transactions on Parts, Hybrids, and Pack-
aging, Vol. 7, No. 4, December 1971, pp. 148-154.
17. Trask, C., “Designing Wide-band Transformers for HF and VHF Power Amplifiers,” QEX, Mar/Apr 2005,
pp. 3-15.
18. Breed, G.A., “Transmission Line Transformer Basics,” Applied Microwave & Wireless, Vol. 10, No. 4, May
1998, p. 60.
19. Rotholz, E., “Transmission-Line Transformers,” IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques,
Vol. 29, No. 4, April 1981, pp. 327-331.
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