RF and Microwave Engineering: Fundamentals of Wireless Communications

Chapter 3

Transmission Line Theory and Transient Signals on Lines

In this chapter we derive the equations that describe the electrical behaviour of transmission lines. Transmission lines are key components to many passive circuits, like filters, power dividers, matching circuits and couplers. We will start our investigation into transmission lines with physical considerations and will apply straightforward mathematical methods. Furthermore, our approach will be illustrative, in order to fully understand the implications of the theory for the design of RF circuits.

Section 3.1 is about classical transmission line theory. A theory that allows an effective treatment of lines, especially in the case of sinusoidal (time-harmonic) signals. In Section 3.2 we will look at transient signals like pulse or step functions and study the effects that occur when such signals propagate along transmission lines.