RF Circuit Design, 2nd Edition

APPENDIX A RF and Antennas

WHAT IS RF?

RF design is affected by residual circuit values, such as additional capacitances and inductances, exhibited even by transmission lines and circuit traces at high-enough frequencies. These residual or “parasitic” circuit elements can even be found in the structures of transistors used for RF and microwave frequencies.

At lower frequencies, the physical wavelengths of signals are very large so that the size of electrical components has little impact on these signals. For example, the very-low-frequency (VLF) range, which encompasses much of the human hearing range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz, features signals with wavelengths as long as 100 km (3 kHz). The high-frequency (HF) band, with frequencies from 3 to 30 ...