Abstract
This thesis investigates wideband balun power dividers (WBPD) and wideband balun couplers (WBC) implemented on microstrip. Current wideband microstrip circuits are rather large due to their dependence on quarter wavelengths. Microstrip circuits become especially large when they operate at frequencies under 10 GHz due to their quarter wavelength requirement. This has created a demand for wideband microstrip circuits that operate under 10 GHz and are smaller than those currently available. It is therefore desired to implement a WBPD or WBC on microstrip in a smaller form, where the circuit is under a quarter wavelength long. Agilent’s Advanced Design System (ADS) software, version 2012.08, was used for this thesis to verify theory and simulate designs. The objective is to create a WBPD or WBC that is small in size and operates under 10 GHz over a large bandwidth, ideally, the bandwidth would be over 10 GHz. To keep manufacturing costs low, it is desired to implement a WBPD or WBC on microstrip without vias or other circuit elements. This thesis determines what is necessary to implement a WBPD and WBC on microstrip. A WBPD requires a minimum of two resistors and two microstip gaps to achieve a balanced output, and that the maximum gain between any two ports is -4.77dB. A WBC requires a dielectric with a large relative permittivity and thickness. A WBC also requires the even and odd mode characteristic impedances to be extreme opposites; one is very large and the other is very small.