Design of X-Band Circulator and Isolator for High-Peak-Power Applications

Abstract

This paper presents a design of a X-band circulator–isolator for handling high-peak-power applications. The device consists of two cascade-connected ferrite circulators, with one dedicated to transmission and the other to small-signal reception coupled with high-power signal isolation. To improve the power capacity, a layer of poly-tetra fluoroethylene (PTFE) film is placed above and below the circulator’s and the isolator’s center conductors. Measurement results show that the device is capable of withstanding a peak power of 7000 W, with an insertion loss of <0.3 dB at the transmitting port. Similarly, it sustains a peak power of 6000 W with an insertion loss of <0.5 dB at the reception port. Moreover, the proposed design achieved isolation between the transmitting and receiving ends of >20 dB with a VSWR < 1.2 at each port. Thermal analysis shows that the maximum relative ambient temperature rise is 15.11  ∘C. These findings show that the proposed device achieves low-loss transmission of high-peak-power signals in the transmit channel and reverse isolation of high-peak-power signals in the receive channel.