Passive Microwave Components for a Wideband Six-Port Reflectometer: Design and Comparative Analysis
摘要
This paper presents the design, simulation, fabrication, and performance evaluation of passive microwave components for a wideband six-port reflectometer intended for microwave imaging applications. Two core components, which are the 90° hybrid coupler and T-junction power divider were designed using Keysight Advanced Design System (ADS) software to operate across 1.8–3.0 GHz, with a center frequency of 2.4 GHz. The prototypes were fabricated on two different substrates, which are FR-4 and Rogers Duroid RT5880, to enable a comparative performance analysis. Full-wave electromagnetic simulations and experimental measurements were conducted to assess S-parameters, including return loss, insertion loss and isolation. Results indicate that the Rogers Duroid RT5880 substrate exhibits superior and more stable performance, with return loss below −20 dB and the insertion loss approaching −3 dB. Meanwhile, the FR-4 substrates show higher dielectric losses and narrower bandwidth. Minor deviations between simulated and measured results were attributed to fabrication tolerances and material variations. The findings confirm a trade-off between cost and performance and validate the suitability of the proposed design for integration into wideband six-port reflectometers in next-generation microwave imaging and sensing systems.