Passive microwave circuits - Non-reciprocal ferrite elements

Mainly telecommunications systems and radars are made up of a large assembly of circuits, which are themselves manufactured using active or passive components. In this article, we will only deal with non-reciprocal circuits and passive components.

Based on what we have said in the articles and , it is clear that the majority of circuits operating at frequencies up to around twenty gigahertz will be based on coaxial, microstrip or coplanar technology. For higher frequencies, i.e. millimeter-wave frequencies, waveguides are predominantly used. For frequencies above 200 GHz, circuits designed using quasi-optical methods are increasingly used.

Reciprocal liabilities are covered in article .

Non-reciprocal circuits play an important role in radar and telecommunications. Before describing how they work, we'll analyze the basic material, ferrites, from both a physical and theoretical point of view, characterizing their anisotropy. The very specific functions of insulators, circulators and switches can then be clearly explained.

We'll end this article by describing how a few subsystems work.