Application Notes

FERRITE ISOLATORS AND CIRCULATORS

Ferrite isolators and circulators play a fundamental and valuable role in RF systems. They are passive, ferrite devices that
act as traffic conductors for RF energy in a system, routing signals wherever a system designer needs them to go. Their
ability to behave non-reciprocally (non-reversible, allowing energy to pass in only one direction through the device) when
RF energy is applied to them is very important for a number of applications.

RF CIRCULATOR
An RF circulator can be thought of as a merry-go-round for RF energy. Energy of an appropriate frequency that enters
port 1 of the circulator (gets on the merry go round) will travel clockwise until it reaches port 2, at which point it will exit
the circulator (gets off the merry go round). There is very little attenuation of the signal while it is inside the circulator.
Likewise, energy entering port 2 of the circulator will travel to port 3, and energy entering port 3 of the circulator will
travel to port 1.

Top: DiToms 18-40 GHz circulator passes a signal with a frequency anywhere from 18-40 GHz from port 1 to port 2.
Right: DiToms 18-40 GHz circulator passes a signal with a frequency anywhere from 18-40 GHz from port 2 to port 3.
Left: DiToms 18-40 GHz circulator passes a signal with a frequency anywhere from 18-40 GHz from port 3 to port 1.

RF ISOLATOR
An RF isolator can be thought of as a diode for RF energy. An isolator is simply a circulator with one of its ports
terminated with a matched 50 load. The device has only 2 ports, and as a result, has only one path for energy to flow
without significant attenuation. Energy can only enter port 1 and travel to port 2. Any energy that enters port 2 will be
routed to the matched termination on port 3, and quickly dissipated as heat. This behavior heavily attenuates any signal
entering port 2 before it reaches port 1, yet allows almost all of a signal entering port 1 to reach port 2.

DiToms 18-40 GHz isolator attenuating a signal

anywhere from 18-40 GHz as it passes from port
2 to port 1. A majority of the energy is absorbed
by the termination on port 3, effectively isolating
port 2 from port 1.

DiToms 18-40 GHz isolator allowing a signal

anywhere from 18-40 GHz to pass from port 1 to
port 2 with little attenuation

ELECTRICAL SPECIFICATIONS OF ISOLATORS AND CIRCULATORS

When selecting an isolator and/or circulator, it is important to understand some common electrical specifications that tell
you how well it is capable of performing in your application. The three basic specifications for isolators and circulators
are insertion loss, VSWR, and isolation. Generally speaking, these specs are a direct trade off with bandwidth: the more
bandwidth you want, the more degraded set of specs you will get.

Insertion Loss
Insertion loss describes how much energy is lost during the process of transferring a signal from one port of an
isolator/circulator to another. It is essentially a measure of how much energy it costs a designer to use an
isolator/circulator in their system. As stated above, isolators and circulators are passive components, so a signal traveling
through them has to do so using its own energy. As in any real system, there will be some attenuation to the signal as it
travels through the device. This attenuation is called insertion loss, and it is measured in decibels (dB). The higher the
insertion loss, the more energy it costs to use the isolator or circulator. This energy is converted into heat on its way
through the device. However, insertion loss specifications are relatively small, so the benefits a system receives from the
use of an isolator/circulator are usually worth the energy cost of implementing them. Typical insertion loss specifications
are on the order of 0.4 dB for octave bandwidth units, however the specification can be as small as 0.15 dB for
narrowband units, and as high as 1.7 dB for certain broadband units.
Example: A customer purchases DiToms 6.0 18.0 GHz isolator, DMI6018, because it is the best unit available on the
market today. The customer wants to know how much of their 1 watt signal it will cost to use this isolator in their system.
The DMI6018 has a typical insertion loss spec of 0.90 dB (actual value is -0.90 dB, as insertion loss is always a negative
ratio; it measures attenuation, after all).
Start with general dB to power conversion:
dB = 10 log10(
-0.90 dB = 10 log10(

= 0.81

Pout = (0.81)Pin = (0.81) (1 Watt) = 0.81 Watt

From this calculation, the customer now knows that it will only cost 190 mW to use the isolator in their system.

VSWR
VSWR stands for voltage standing wave ratio. It is a ratio of the maximum voltage to the minimum voltage of a standing
wave created by an imperfect impedance match where two boundaries meet (typically where a source meets a load). This
standing wave is produced by energy reflecting off of the boundary, and traveling back the way it came. In the case of
isolators and circulators, VSWR is the measure of how much of the signal that you want to send through the isolator will
reflect back towards the transmitter that sent it. A low VSWR spec is always desirable. Lower VSWRs mean that there is
less energy reflecting off of port 1 of the isolator/circulator and going where you dont want it to go.

A representation of a bad VSWR - The entire

signal is reflected back in the direction of where
it came from.

A representation of a good VSWR Only a small

fraction of the incident signal is reflected back in
the direction of where it came from.

Standing waves are unattractive because they represent energy going where you dont want it to go, and very bad things
can come from this happening. To visualize this, consider the following situation:
Your goal is to get a tennis ball from your hand to the inside of a house. In this situation, you are
the transmitter, the tennis ball represents your RF signal, and the house is the load to which you
want to deliver the signal (antenna, amplifier, etc.). You throw the tennis ball as hard as you can at
the brick wall of the house. The tennis ball promptly bounces off the wall, and comes flying back
at you.

This situation represents a perfectly bad VSWR for an isolator/circulator one in which your entire signal went exactly
where you didnt want it to go. It reflected off of your isolator/circulator, headed back towards your most likely expensive
transmitter, and either disrupted it, or destroyed it completely. This type of VSWR occurs at an open or short circuit in a
system, where the impedance match is the worst. An RF signal on a transmission line will see this impedance mismatch as
very obstructive, so rather than conduct through it, it reflects off of it. In the example, the tennis ball sees the brick wall as
very obstructive, so likewise, it reflects off of it.
The next day, you try again, and decide you are not going to hurl the ball into a brick wall directly
in front of you, but rather try to throw the ball through an open window. You hold your breath,
and release the ball. After you open your eyes, you find that the ball is resting comfortably inside
the house.

This represents a perfect VSWR for an isolator/circulator one in which your entire signal went exactly where you
wanted it to go, and you have maximum power transfer through the isolator/circulator. This type of VSWR occurs at
boundaries where both sides are impedance matched to each other perfectly. An RF signal traveling on a 50
transmission line, for example, will happily conduct through an isolator that has been tuned to present the signal with a
50 impedance. In the example, the air on the outside of the house and the air inside of the house have the same effect on
the tennis ball, so the ball can move easily between the two with no reflection.
A perfect VSWR will never be attained in real life (but here at DiTom, we get pretty close). VSWR is typically expressed
as a ratio (1.5:1, 2.5:1, etc.); the lower the ratio, the better the VSWR. DiToms typical VSWR specifications for
isolators/circulators are 1.1:1 for certain narrowband units, and around 1.5:1 for broadband units.

Example: The same customer that just bought the DMI6018s wants to know how much of his 1W signal will reflect off of
the incident port. The DMI6018 has a typical VSWR spec of 1.45:1.

Start with general VSWR to reflection coefficient conversion:

R=
R=

= 0.184

Continue with general reflection coefficient to return loss (dB) conversion:

Return Loss = -20 log10(R)
Return Loss = -20 log10(0.184) = 14.7 dB (-14.7 dB in actuality, as it is a loss)
Finish with general dB to power conversion:

Preflected =

(Pin) = 0.034(Pin) = 34mW

From this calculation, the customer now knows that 34 mW of his 1W signal will reflect off of the isolator when it is used
in their system.

Isolation
Quite possibly the most important spec for an isolator is the isolation spec! Isolation is a measure of how well an
isolator can carry out its main purpose of decoupling energy entering port 2 from whatever is attached to port 1. An
isolator has isolation because a termination is attached to port 3 of the device, not a connector. This termination has an
element inside its shell called the load element. When matched well to the isolator, this element will dissipate any energy
it encounters as heat, stopping it in its tracks. Isolation is dependent on two things primarily: the quality of the termination
on the isolator, and the VSWR of port 3 on the isolator.

With a quality termination attached (having a VSWR of about 1.05:1 or better) isolation of 24-26 dB can be achieved for
narrowband units, and 15-20 dB can typically be achieved for broadband units. One thing to remember is that your
isolation will always be at least as high as your VSWR, and sometimes higher. Just think about it: the spec for VSWR on
port 3 will express the absolute maximum amount of energy that will reflect off of port 3 when a 50 load is placed on it.
Isolation exists only because you have a 50 load on port 3, so it follows logically that you will have isolation that is at
least equivalent to that VSWR by default. Sometimes, a slight improvement can be made to the isolation spec when a
termination is added to the port, as it is tuned by a technician to give the absolute highest isolation possible.

DiToms 18-40 GHz isolator attenuating a signal

anywhere from 18-40 GHz as it passes from port
2 to port 1. As the signal passes by port 3 with
the termination on it, it is attenuated to the extent
of the isolation spec before reaching port 1.

One thing to remember about isolation: Circulators by definition do not have any isolation spec. They are defined purely
by insertion loss and VSWR. One can turn a circulator into an isolator by attaching an aftermarket load to the port 3
connector, but be warned..dont expect an isolation measurement as good as or better than your VSWR specification
right off the bat. The isolation that a circulator provides is completely dependent on the VSWR of the load that you attach.
All of DiToms circulators are supplied with an isolation specification for your convenience, and they are tuned using a
reference load with a VSWR of 1.05:1 or better. Using a circulator as an isolator by attaching a load to port 3 is
completely fine and standard practice, but be mindful when doing so that attaching a load with a larger VSWR than 1.05:1
will leave you with a degraded isolation spec - the termination will be reflecting more energy back into the circulator than
the termination that was used to initially build and tune the circulator.

POWER HANDLING AND GROUP DELAY

Two more common specifications that arent encountered as often but are good to remember for certain applications are
power handling and group delay.

Power Handling
Power handling is simply a measure of how much power an isolator/circulator can usefully pass without degrading to the
point where signal distortion and/or attenuation render it ineffective. Factors that dictate how much power an
isolator/circulator can handle are predominantly heat, voltage level, and spin waves (related to ferrite material).
Heat is generated by the isolator/circulator because of insertion loss. Any energy that doesnt make it from one port to
another has to go somewhere, and that somewhere is heat. Heat is bad for a number of reasons:

It degausses the permanent magnets that bias the ferrite

It causes thermal expansion of the internal circuit which can overly distort its sensitive geometries, degrading
quoted specification
It will eventually destroy the unit, as the dielectric will melt and the magnets will completely degauss

It is important to consider heat sinking an isolator/circulator whenever possible when you will be approaching the quoted
average or peak pulsed power of the isolator/circulator in your application.
Spin waves are related to heat, and can also be a problem encountered when dealing with high power signals. When RF
power levels approach a certain critical point, spin waves (think of it as noise) within the RF signal begin to get excited,
and can saturate the main resonance line width of the ferrite material. This saturation disrupts the uniform mode that is

driven by the applied RF signal. Spin waves usually have the same frequency as the uniform mode, or some harmonic
derivative of said frequency, but they are frequently out of phase with the uniform mode. This causes the saturation of the
main resonance line width, and leads to non-linear absorption within the ferrite itself. All of these negative effects of spin
waves essentially lead to a unit having more insertion loss than it was originally designed to have.
Isolators and circulators have both an average power handling spec, and a peak power handling spec. Average power
represents the maximum power that the isolator/circulator can handle when power is applied continuously. This can be the
average power of a continuous wave signal, or the temporal average of the power of a pulsed signal (radar or beacon
application). In the case of a continuous wave signal, the average power of the isolator/circulator must be greater than the
average power of the signal. In the case of a pulsed signal, the average power specification must be greater than the
temporal peak of the signal multiplied by the signals duty cycle.
Peak power represents the maximum power than an isolator/circulator can handle when pulsed. For an application where a
pulsed signal will be transmitted, the temporal peak must be less than the peak power handling of the isolator/circulator.
Isolators have an additional power specification called reflective power handling. This specification refers to the power
that the termination attached to the isolator can dissipate. This can be customized during manufacturing by selecting a
termination that has the power handling that a customer wants. The important thing to remember here is that the
termination needs to be able to handle any foreseeable amount of energy that may either reflect off of or enter port 2
during operation when something goes wrong further down the transmission line (short/open circuit). In the event that the
termination sees too much power for too long, it will burn up.
Circulators do not have a reflective power spec because they do not have a termination attached to them. If you are using a
circulator as an isolator, refer to your terminations datasheet to find your reflective power handling it will be the same
as the peak power handling of the termination.

Group Delay
Group delay can be defined as the amount of real time that it takes for a signal to exit port 2 after it has entered port 1.
Group delay is calculated by taking the derivative of the phase. This value, typically expressed in picoseconds or
nanoseconds, is an indicator of the linearity of the isolator/circulator. It is desirable to have a group delay value that is
constant relative to all frequencies in the band of interest. A constant group delay indicates a linear phase over the entire
band, so large fluctuations in group delay indicate phase non-linearities caused by the isolator/circulator. Any nonlinearities in a signal that are a result of an isolator or circulator are undesirable, as they indicate that the signal has been
degraded by the isolator or circulator in some way.

APPLICATIONS
Common applications for circulators are as simple duplexers and as high reflective power handling isolators. Isolators are
typically used to protect active components from distorting or potentially damaging reflective power.

Duplexers
A duplexer is anything that allows two directions of communication over a single channel. For example, a duplexer allows
you to both transmit and receive a signal using the same antenna, reducing the number of parts in a system while at the
same time reducing the cost of the system. The non-reciprocal nature of a circulator fits this application perfectly.
By attaching a transmitter to port 1, an antenna to port 2, and a receiver to port 3, you can effectively use 1 antenna to
perform two tasks. This reduces the number of antennas and cable runs by one half, saving space and money.

Transmitter

Antenna

DiToms 18-40 GHz circulator used

as a duplexer. The circulator
directs energy between an antenna
and both a transmitter and receiver.

Receiver

High Reflective Power Handling Isolators

Another popular application for circulators is as isolators with high reflective power handling. Attaching a high power
termination to port 3 of the circulator allows the user to use it as an isolator in higher power applications. This can be
particularly useful for base station applications where you need a termination that can dissipate more power than a
standard, lower power termination would be able to dissipate.

Signal Generator/Transmitter Protection

The standard application of an RF isolator is as a form of protection for sensitive equipment that is connected in a chain.
By placing an isolator on the output of a transmitter, for example, you can protect that transmitter from harmful reflections
that would have otherwise made it back to the transmitter output, potentially contributing to signal distortions or damage
to the equipment.

Bad VSWR in
Transmission Path

Transmitter

DiToms 18-40 GHz isolator decoupling a

transmitter from a bad VSWR somewhere
else in the transmission path.

Dual Junction Isolators/Circulators

An isolator/circulator can be made with more than 3 ports if desired. A dual junction isolator/circulator has 4 ports, and
functions exactly the same as a 3 port isolator/circulator. The additional port can be beneficial for certain applications. For

example, an additional termination can be placed on the extra port if more isolation is desired between the input and
output of an isolator, or in a duplexer application, additional isolation can be added between the receive and transmit port.

Dual Junction Circulator

Dual Junction Isolator

Transmitter

Antenna

Receiver

DiToms 18-40 GHz circulator with port 4 terminated. This unit functions as a duplexer with added isolation
between the receiver and the transmitter. With this configuration, it is important to realize that the isolation between
the transmitter and receiver is not the same as the isolation between the receiver and transmitter; the isolation
between the receiver and the transmitter is equal to the VSWR of port 2 plus 3x the per junction insertion loss.