Microwave Office Tutorial

1. Introduction

In this tutorial you will familiarize yourself with the Microwave Office software simulation

package. You will create an optimally matched, short, and open circuited transmission line and

simulate the reflection coefficient at the input port. This tutorial assumes you have read through

the relevant transmission line theory linked on the WBAP wiki page.

2. Creating a new project and setting up your design environment

2.1 Log into the GBO Kayak machine

2.2 Open the “AWR Design Environment 11” software simulation package. A “Select License

Features ” pop-up window will occur, select “okay”.

2.3 Setting up your design environment:

- Create a new project: Go to “File>New Project”

- Create a new schematic: Go to “Project>Add Schematic>New Schematic” or use the “Add new

schematic” shortcut in the toolbar, highlighted in the figure below. Name the schematic

according to the circuit that you will construct in the schematic.

Figure 1: Creating a new schematic

- Save project: “File> Save Project”

- Setting the frequency range: Navigate to “Options>Project Options”, under the “Frequencies”

tab set the frequency range as depicted in Figure 2 below. Under the “Global Units” tab set the

global frequency unit to MHz.

Figure 2: Set the frequency range

3. Optimally matched, short and open circuited transmission line

3.1 Optimally matched transmission line

Create a new schematic named 50_terminated. In the left panel, select the “Elements” tab. Drag

a physical transmission line into the schematic. Add a port to the left of the transmission line.

Add a resistor to the right of the transmission line and change the resistor value to 50 Ω. The

resistors are located in the top toolbar and under the “Lumped Element” drop-down selection in

the left “Elements” panel. Set the center frequency of the transmission line to 500 MHz. Ground

the resistor by selecting the ground symbol. Right click to rotate an element. See Figure 3 below.

Figure 3: Optimally matched transmission line

3.2 Short circuited transmission line

Create a new schematic named short_circuited. In the left panel, select the “Elements” tab. Drag

a short circuited physical transmission line into the schematic. Add a port to the left of the

transmission line. Set the center frequency of the transmission line to 500 MHz. See Figure 4

below.

Figure 4: Short circuited transmission line

3.3 Open circuited transmission line

Create a new schematic named open_circuited. In the left panel, select the “Elements” tab. Drag an

open circuited physical transmission line into the schematic. Add a port to the left of the transmission

line. Set the center frequency of the transmission line to 500 MHz. See Figure 5 below.

Figure 5: Open circuited transmission line

4. Adding graphs and simulating Navigate to “Project>Add Graph” and name the graph S11_real. Right click and select “Add

new measurement” and set the measurement properties as indicated in Figure 6 below.

Ensure that “All sources” are selected.

Figure 6: Adding a new measurement

Start the simulation by clicking the “Simulate>Analyze” tab, or the thunderbolt icon in the top

toolbar. Correct the axis of the graph by right clicking on the graph, select “Properties”, and

de-select the “Auto-limits” option and set the limits to -2 and 2.

5. Results

Verify that your results correspond to the theory. There are no reflections for an optimally

matched transmission line. Further the reflection coefficient for a short circuited transmission

line and an open circuited transmission line is -1 and 1 respectively.

Figure 7:Simulation results for all sources

6. Optional exercise

Change the length of the transmission line and verify that the results are still the same.