Knowledge About RF Power Attenuators

1. What is an RF attenuator?

The radiofrequency attenuator is a very important component used in microwave circuits. In many microwave systems, such as radar, multi-channel communication systems, and other signal transmission loss and received signal measurement, RF attenuator is inseparable. The measurement accuracy of RF attenuators is closely related to the smooth production of microwave equipment. The development of devices, test systems and test technologies cannot do without rf attenuator. The measurement of RF digital attenuator is closely related to the accuracy of microwave power measurement, determination of noise standards, and attenuation correction.

2. Application of RF power attenuator

The RF power attenuator is widely used in the measurement of electronic instruments, electromagnetic compatibility testing, and attenuation inside the measuring instrument, etc. Its performance directly affects the accuracy of the test and the accuracy of the measuring instrument. Therefore, designing a precise and excellent programmable RF attenuator is of great significance to radio measurement.

3. The basic principles that RF power attenuators must follow

Generally, radio frequency measurement devices must follow the following two basic principles:

Impedance matching. To accurately attenuate the signal power, the RF power attenuator must match the impedance, otherwise, it will form a standing wave or reflection, which will affect the accuracy of the measurement. For the attenuator input, the input impedance must match the output impedance of the signal source; for the attenuator output, the output impedance must match the load impedance. Since the RF power attenuator generally does not need to perform impedance conversion, the input impedance, output impedance, load impedance, and signal source output impedance are all equal.
The attenuation of the RF power attenuator must meet the requirements.