COURSE : B.Sc.

ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING

UNIT CODE : EEE 23O4

UNIT : ELECTROMAGNETICS II

TITLE : RECTANGULAR WAVEGUIDES

DATE : 4TH DECEMBER 2023

DAVID MWAKIO ENE211 – 0040/2021

JERRY KICHE ENE211 – 0261/2021

MALCOLM IAN ENE211 – 0022/2021

GRACE MUGO ENE211 – 0200/2021

BRAVINE AMANI ENE211 – 0048/2021

ELI LEKAKENY ENE211 – 0047/2021

WAVEGUIDES

OBJECTIVES

1. Know how to measure the wavelength of a signal in a rectangular waveguide using a

slotted line.
2. Understand the meaning of the term cut-off frequency.

THEORY

The frequency, velocity and wavelength of any wave are related using the equation c= λ f
where c is the velocity, λ the wavelength and f the frequency.

The velocity of an electromagnetic wave in free space is denoted by c. The velocity in air is
almost the same value as that of free space which is approximately 3x10*m/s.

An electromagnetic traveling in a magnetic or dielectric material does so more slowly. Many

microwave phenomena are frequency dependent, or (amounting to the same thing) dependent
on the relationship between a wavelength and some dimension of the apparatus in use.

When a waveguide is used to transmit the wave, there are other factors to consider. It turns
out that the wavelength inside the guide is longer than that in free space.

In a waveguide, there is theoretically infinite number of different modes, or field patterns, in

which an electromagnetic wave can be transmitted. In general they are classified as:

a. Transverse electric (TE)

b. Transverse magnetic (TM)

Figure 1
Figure 1 illustrates the electric and magnetic field patterns for the mode used in the
rectangular waveguides of the MWT530 experiments. This mode is called TE 1.0 mode. The
figures indicate that the electric field is unidirectional and there is no transverse magnetic
field.

Other modes have different number suffixes indicating the number of changes of field
direction which occur in each transverse direction. A special mode called TEM has both
electric field and magnetic fields perpendicular to the direction of propagation. This mode
occurs in free space and coaxial lines.

Each mode has a critical frequency, called the cut-off frequency (f o) below which it cannot
propagate energy, dependent on the waveguide dimensions. A waveguide is generally used
over a range of frequencies such that only one mode can propagate, so that useful energy is
not lost by conversion between different modes.

The cut-off frequency can be calculated for a rectangular waveguide as follows:

For the TEm.n mode: fc=c/2√ ¿+¿ ) where a and b are the waveguide dimensions.

For the TE1.0 mode: fc=c/2a

In this experiment, the source of microwave power will be an oscillator based on a field-
effect transistor (FET). Its frequency of oscillation is determined by the resonance of the
waveguide cavity in which it is mounted. This cavity is coupled to the external waveguide by
a narrow slit to reduce the influence the external load has on the oscillator’s built-in
resonance. Other forms of microwave oscillator exist. The Gunn diode, a form of negative-
resistance device, can be used at low powers. For higher powers, vacuum tubes such as
klystrons and magnetrons can be used. These use the finite speed of electrons travelling in
vacuum.

The FET oscillator can be supplied with dc from the MWT530 power supply, but in this and
other assignment using the diode detector, the supply can be square wave modulated or
‘keyed’ by repeated switching of the supply. This enables a simple ac amplifier to increase a
weak detector signal to the power level required for an indicating meter.

The cavity resonator to be used in this experiment has a cavity which is coupled to the
waveguide by a small coupling hole (see figure 2). Because the hole is small it can normally
absorb a tiny fraction of the energy passing through the waveguide. That tiny amount of
energy, once through the hole, bounces between the walls of the cavity. It cannot escape
except through the hole.

If a wave bouncing back to the hole and a wave entering reinforces each other, the strength of
the wave will build up progressively to greater amplitude. This is a form of resonance. If the
amplitude is large enough, even the small fraction which leaks back into the waveguide
through the whole will have a significant effect, as it shall be seen.

By making the size of the cavity variable, the resonant frequency can be varied. So, by
adjusting the cavity size to the point where the cavity affects transmission of a particular
signal, it can be resonated at the frequency of the signal.

Figure 2
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE

EQUIPMENT

Quantity Identity letter Description

1 _ Control Console

2 A Variable Attenuator

1 B Slotted Line

1 D Cavity Resonator

1 K Resistive Terminator

1 M Diode Detector

1 P X-Band Oscillator

1 S Probe Detector Assembly

CIRCUIT DIAGRAMS

Figure 3
 Figure 4
PROCEDURE

1. Connect the apparatus as shown in figure 3.When attaching the Cavity Resonator,
ensure the scale is positioned for easy reading. Gently screw in the micro meter head
of the Cavity Resonator until resistance is felt. (Do not force it.) On the Control
Console, switch on the supply to the oscillator and set its left-hand switch for internal
keying. Set the METER READS switch to 'detector output'
2. Set the 'source' Attenuator to 20.Set the sensitivity control of the amplifier to
maximum and adjust the "load"' Attenuator until a reading of about 3 is obtained on
the meter.
3. The meter indicates the amount of power received at the Diode Detector. Observe
how it is affected as you unscrew the micro meter head. At first there will be little
effect on the meter, some shallow nulls and then a deep null i.e. the meter reading will
sharply fall to zero or near zero. The cavity is now resonating at a frequency
corresponding to that of the signal in the waveguide. At resonance, even a small
coupling can absorb a high proportion of the power travelling along the waveguide, so
that the detector does not receive it. This principle is used, in practice, in the
absorption type of frequency meter.
4. Adjusting the micro meter of the Cavity Resonator alters the size of the cavity, and
consequently its minimum resonant frequency. Every cavity has many modes of
 resonance, but the one with the lowest resonant frequency is usually most simply
related to its dimensions.
5. Find and record the micro meter setting which gives the lowest meter reading. The
micro meter barrel is graduated at hall-millimetre intervals, with one tum of the screw
advancing the plunger by one hall-millimetre.
6. Unscrew the micro meter, again watching the meter. The reading will increase more
or less to its original value; the dip a few times more as the whole length of the micro
meter is unscrewed, thus illustrating the many modes of resonance possible in the
cavity.
(To be useful as a frequency meter the cavity would need to be calibrated, preferably
at several frequencies, so that the relationship between micro meter setting and
frequency is known.)
7. Remove the Diode Detector and Resistive Terminator and connect the components as
shown in figure 4, ensuring that the probe of the Slotted-line Detector is projecting no
more than about 1mm into the slotted line. Connect its waveguide assembly where the
Diode Detector was, and add a blanking plate to short-circuit the microwave.
8. Adjust the depth of penetration of the probe into the slotted-line and both attenuators
to obtain full-scale deflection (tsc).
9. Use the Slotted-line Detector to find two successive positions at which the signal
reaches a sharp null. Note each position carefully against the scale on the waveguide.
These nulls arise because the signal from the microwave oscillator travels along the
guide to the short-circuited end. Its energy cannot be absorbed by the short-circuit, so
the signal is reflected back along the guide. There are thus two waves; the original or
‘incident’ wave, and the 'reflected' wave travelling in the opposite direction. There are
places where their electric fields will be in phase, and other places where they will
tend to cancel each other.
10. Calculate the distance between the two null positions, which is λ/2. That is; half the
wavelength in the waveguide.
RESULTS