Application of RH and LH sections for reduction of coupling coefficients in two-section asymmetric directional couplers

Abstract

A method allowing for reduction of coupling coefficients required for realization of two-section asymmetrical coupled-line directional couplers has been proposed. It has been shown that by connecting uncoupled left-handed and right-handed transmission lines between two coupled-line sections one can obtain greater design flexibility of the resulting circuit, simultaneously with the coupling reduction in coupled-line sections. Moreover, the proposed circuit features the properties of two-section asymmetric directional couplers offering wide operational bandwidth. The theoretical analysis has been verified by measurements of a 3 dB directional coupler operating at the center frequency f0 = 1.5 GHz having coupling imbalance δC = ±0.4 dB and bandwidth 0.75–2.3 GHz.