Experiment 8

HFSS WR90 Waveguide

Aim
To simulate an air-filled WR-90 waveguide using ANSYS HFSS and determine the field
patterns, intrinsic impedance, and wavelength for the first four propagation modes.

Theory
The WR-90 waveguide is a standard rectangular waveguide widely used in the X-band frequency
range, typically from 8.2 to 12.4 GHz. In a waveguide, electromagnetic waves propagate in
specific modes, characterized by different field patterns and cutoff frequencies.
The dominant mode in a rectangular waveguide is the TE10 mode, which has the lowest
cutoff frequency. Higher-order modes such as TE01, TE20, and TE11 also exist but require
higher frequencies to propagate. Using a simulation tool like ANSYS HFSS, one can visualize
the electric and magnetic field distributions, compute the intrinsic impedance, and calculate
the guided wavelength (λg) for each mode.
The cutoff frequency for a TEmn mode in a rectangular waveguide is given by:

1 𝑚 𝑛
𝑓 = + .𝑐
2 𝑎 𝑏

Where:

• a and b are the width and height of the waveguide

• c is the speed of light in vacuum

• m, n are mode indices

The intrinsic impedance and wavelength for each mode are determined using simulation
outputs.

Component List
• ANSYS HFSS Software – For 3D EM simulation

• WR-90 Waveguide Model – Rectangular waveguide structure

• Air as Dielectric Medium – Set material property for inside region

• Wave Ports – To excite and measure wave propagation

• Modal Analysis Setup – To analyze multiple propagation modes

 Fig. 1 WR-90 waveguide in ANSYS HFS

Procedure
1. Open ANSYS HFSS and create a new project.

2. Draw a rectangular waveguide with dimensions a = 22.86 mm and b = 10.16 mm

(stan- dard WR-90).

3. Assign ”vacuum” or ”air” as the dielectric material.

4. Create wave ports at both ends of the waveguide.

5. Set up a modal analysis to solve for the first 4 modes (TE10, TE01, TE20, TE11).

6. Mesh the structure appropriately to capture high-frequency details.

7. Run the simulation and extract results for:

• Electric and magnetic field patterns.

• Intrinsic impedance at the ports.
• Wavelength inside the waveguide.

8. Use field plots to visualize each mode separately.

9. Record data from the results window.

Observations
Fig. 5 Output of E-plane Tee

Fig. 6 Output of H-plane Tee

Fig. 7 Output at

Fig. 8 Output
Results
The simulation in ANSYS HFSS successfully provided the required electromagnetic properties
of the WR-90 waveguide:

• Mode 1 (TE10): λg = 59.579 mm, Z = 510 Ω

• Mode 2 (TE01): λg = 56.231 mm, Z = 605 Ω

• Mode 3 (TE20): λg = 55.279 mm, Z = 255 Ω

• Mode 4 (TE11): λg = 45.144 mm, Z = 377 Ω

 Experiment 9
To Design a Low Pass Filter Using ANSYS
HFSS
Aim
To design and simulate a low pass filter using ANSYS HFSS and analyze its frequency
response characteristics.

Theory
A low-pass filter is an essential RF/microwave circuit that allows signals with frequencies
below a certain cutoff frequency to pass while attenuating higher-frequency components. These
filters are commonly used in communication systems to suppress noise and high-frequency
interference. In microwave engineering, low-pass filters are typically realized using
distributed elements like microstrip lines, stubs, or stepped impedance sections, due to their
compatibility with PCB
manufacturing and high-frequency operation.
The key performance metrics for a low-pass filter include:
• Cutoff Frequency (fc): The frequency beyond which signals begin to attenuate.
• Insertion Loss: The signal loss within the passband, ideally as low as possible.
• Return Loss: The measure of signal reflection, should be high for good
impedance matching.

Fig. 1 Low Pass Filter structure in HFSS

Component List
• ANSYS HFSS Software – Electromagnetic simulator for high-frequency circuits.
 • Substrate Material (e.g., FR4) – Used to model the microstrip filter.
• Ground Plane and Conductor Layout – Defines the physical layout of the
filter.
• Wave Ports – To excite and measure the filter response.
• Filter Topology – Series and shunt elements in the microstrip layout.

Procedure
1. Launch ANSYS HFSS and create a new 3D model.

2. Define the substrate dimensions and assign appropriate material (e.g., FR4 with ϵr =
4.4).

3. Design a microstrip line for 50-ohm characteristic impedance.

4. Add filter structures using either stepped impedance sections or stub tuning.

5. Assign ground and conductor materials (e.g., copper).

6. Define two wave ports at both ends of the microstrip line.

7. Set the simulation frequency sweep range (e.g., 0–10 GHz).

8. Mesh the geometry and run the simulation.

9. Plot S21 (insertion loss) and S11 (return loss) vs frequency.

Observations

Fig. 3 Simulated S-parameter response of the low pass filter

Results
The low-pass filter designed and simulated in ANSYS HFSS showed the following performance:

• Cutoff Frequency = 3.5 GHz

• Insertion Loss at 2 GHz = 0.3 dB

• Return Loss at 2 GHz = 25 dB

• Stopband Attenuation at 6 GHz = ¿30 dB

The design meets the required specifications of low insertion loss in the passband and high
attenuation in the stopband.
 Experiment 10
ABCD to S parameter conversion
Aim
To determine the ABCD matrix and convert it to S-parameters for a given low pass filter
circuit and plot return loss and insertion loss over a frequency range of 0.1 GHz to 2 GHz
using MATLAB.

Theory
A low-pass filter allows low-frequency signals to pass through while attenuating high-frequency
components. ABCD parameters (also called transmission parameters) are used in the
analysis of cascaded two-port networks. These parameters can be easily converted to S-
parameters, which are commonly used in RF circuit analysis to describe how energy propagates
through a network.

• ABCD Parameters: Represent the relationship between input and output voltages
and currents.

• S-Parameters: Describe reflection and transmission characteristics at ports (e.g.,

S11
for return loss and S21 for insertion loss).

• Return Loss: Measure of reflected power, higher values indicate better

impedance matching.

• Insertion Loss: Indicates the signal power loss through the system.

Fig. 1 Given low pass filter circuit configuration

Component Values
• L2 = L4 = L6 = 9.78 nH

• C1 = C5 = 5.43 pF

• C3 = 3.09 pF
Procedure
1. Define the frequency range from 0.1 GHz to 2 GHz.

2. Calculate angular frequency ω = 2πf .

3. Form ABCD matrices for each component:

• 1 jωL
Series Inductor:
0 1
• 1 0
Shunt Capacitor:
jωC 1
4. Multiply matrices to get total ABCD matrix.

5. Convert ABCD parameters to S-parameters using the reference impedance Z0 =

50Ω.

6. Compute return loss and insertion loss in dB.

7. Plot the results using MATLAB.

MATLAB Code

% Define component values

L2 = 9.78e-9; % 9.78 nH
L4 = 9.78e-9; % 9.78 nH
L6 = 9.78e-9; % 9.78 nH
C1 = 5.43e-12; % 5.43 pF
C3 = 3.09e-12; % 3.09 pF
C5 = 5.43e-12; % 5.43 pF

% Define frequency range

f = linspace(0.1e9, 2e9, 1000); % 0.1 GHz to 2 GHz
w = 2*pi*f; % Angular frequency

% Define reference impedance (typically 50 ohms for RF circuits)

Z0 = 50;

% Initialize matrices to store results

ABCD_total = zeros(2, 2, length(f));
S_params = zeros(2, 2, length(f));
return_loss_dB = zeros(1, length(f));
insertion_loss_dB = zeros(1, length(f));

% Calculate ABCD parameters and S-parameters for each frequency

for i = 1:length(f)
% ABCD matrix for shunt capacitor C1
ABCD_C1 = [1, 0; 1j*w(i)*C1, 1];
 % ABCD matrix for series inductor L2
ABCD_L2 = [1, 1j*w(i)*L2; 0, 1];

% ABCD matrix for shunt capacitor C3

ABCD_C3 = [1, 0; 1j*w(i)*C3, 1];

% ABCD matrix for series inductor L4

ABCD_L4 = [1, 1j*w(i)*L4; 0, 1];

% ABCD matrix for shunt capacitor C5

ABCD_C5 = [1, 0; 1j*w(i)*C5, 1];

% ABCD matrix for series inductor L6

ABCD_L6 = [1, 1j*w(i)*L6; 0, 1];

% Calculate the overall ABCD matrix by cascading (multiplying) the individual matrices
ABCD_total(:,:,i) = ABCD_C1 * ABCD_L2 * ABCD_C3 * ABCD_L4 * ABCD_C5 * ABCD_L6;

% Extract ABCD parameters

A = ABCD_total(1,1,i);
B = ABCD_total(1,2,i);
C = ABCD_total(2,1,i);
D = ABCD_total(2,2,i);

% Convert ABCD parameters to S-parameters

denominator = A + B/Z0 + C*Z0 + D;

S11 = (A + B/Z0 - C*Z0 - D) / denominator;

S12 = 2*(A*D - B*C) / denominator;
S21 = 2 / denominator;
S22 = (-A + B/Z0 - C*Z0 + D) / denominator;

S_params(:,:,i) = [S11, S12; S21, S22];

% Calculate return loss (RL) and insertion loss (IL) in dB

return_loss_dB(i) = -20*log10(abs(S11));
insertion_loss_dB(i) = -20*log10(abs(S21));
end

% Plot return loss and insertion loss

figure;
subplot(2,1,1);
plot(f/1e9, return_loss_dB, 'LineWidth', 1.5);
grid on;
xlabel('Frequency (GHz)');
ylabel('Return Loss (dB)');
title('Return Loss vs. Frequency');
subplot(2,1,2);
plot(f/1e9, insertion_loss_dB, 'LineWidth', 1.5);
grid on;
xlabel('Frequency (GHz)');
ylabel('Insertion Loss (dB)');
title('Insertion Loss vs. Frequency');

% Optional: Calculate and print ABCD matrix and S-parameters at a specific frequency (e.g., 1
GHz)
index_1GHz = find(f >= 1e9, 1);
fprintf('ABCD Matrix at 1 GHz:\n');
disp(ABCD_total(:,:,index_1GHz));

fprintf('S-parameters at 1 GHz:\n');
disp(S_params(:,:,index_1GHz));

% Display additional information about the filter

[min_IL, min_IL_idx] = min(insertion_loss_dB);
fprintf('Minimum insertion loss: %.2f dB at %.2f GHz\n', min_IL, f(min_IL_idx)/1e9);

% Calculate and plot the magnitude of S-parameters in dB

figure;
subplot(2,2,1);
plot(f/1e9, 20*log10(abs(squeeze(S_params(1,1,:)))), 'LineWidth', 1.5);
grid on;
xlabel('Frequency (GHz)');
ylabel('|S11| (dB)');
title('S11 Magnitude');

subplot(2,2,2);
plot(f/1e9, 20*log10(abs(squeeze(S_params(1,2,:)))), 'LineWidth', 1.5);
grid on;
xlabel('Frequency (GHz)');
ylabel('|S12| (dB)');
title('S12 Magnitude');

subplot(2,2,3);
plot(f/1e9, 20*log10(abs(squeeze(S_params(2,1,:)))), 'LineWidth', 1.5);
grid on;
xlabel('Frequency (GHz)');
ylabel('|S21| (dB)');
title('S21 Magnitude');

subplot(2,2,4);
plot(f/1e9, 20*log10(abs(squeeze(S_params(2,2,:)))), 'LineWidth', 1.5);
grid on;
xlabel('Frequency (GHz)');
ylabel('|S22| (dB)');
 title('S22 Magnitude');

Observations

Fig. 2 Return Loss and Insertion Loss vs Frequency

Fig. 3 Magnitude of S-parameters

Results
The given circuit is analyzed in Matlab and at 1 GHz, the following parameters were obtained:

Fig. 4 Results