Whether you are a circuit designer or an engineer in the world of microwaves, you may have the need to use RF power dividers in your work. Different types of power dividers serve varying needs, so take the time to research how you can optimize the flow of energy through your circuits. Designed by Ernest J. Wilkinson in the 1950s and 1960s, the Wilkinson power divider is a popular type of power divider that could help improve your power usage.
What Does the Wilkinson Power Divider Do?
Like other kinds of RF power dividers, the Wilkinson power divider works to split energy from a main line of power into at least two lines of equal energy. The Wilkinson power divider is designed to keep an equal condition at every port while using a resistor to improve the isolation at the output ports.
How is the Wilkinson Power Divider Made?
The Wilkinson power divider usually operates through the use of quarter wave transformers, but lumped circuit elements like capacitors or inductors can be used. Sometimes coaxial cable is also used to create the Wilkinson power divider. The divider’s parts are all passive, so it should not contribute any energy to the flow of power; the passivity also makes the Wilkinson power divider reciprocal, so it could also be used as a power combiner if necessary.
Why Would You Choose to Use the Wilkinson Power Divider?
If your circuit system relies on better isolation to operate properly, such as in radio frequency systems with multiple channels, then the Wilkinson power divider may be the right choice for you. It is developed to efficiently divide power between multiple ports, which can be amplified with additional cascading quarter wave transformer sections. It is simple to make, contributes less loss and is inexpensive to build.