Design of a microstrip Wilkinson power divider using a low pass filter with the particle swarm optimization algorithm

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Electromagnetics
• Microwave Engineering

Background:

• Microstrip Wilkinson power dividers (MWPDs) are crucial components in high-frequency systems.
• Optimizing MWPDs for improved performance, such as harmonic suppression and compact size, remains an active area of research.
• Novel resonator designs and optimization algorithms are key to advancing MWPD technology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design, simulate, and fabricate a microstrip Wilkinson power divider (MWPD) utilizing novel resonators.
• To employ the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm for optimizing the L and C parameters of the resonator equivalent circuits.
• To evaluate the performance of the fabricated MWPD and compare it with simulation results.

Main Methods:

• Design and simulation of an MWPD using novel resonators.
• Analysis of resonator performance using lumped-element circuit models.
• Optimization of resonator L and C parameters via the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm.
• Fabrication and experimental evaluation of the proposed MWPD.

Main Results:

• High concordance between simulated and fabricated MWPD performance.
• Achieved a suitable S₁₂ of -3.15 dB and return loss < -24 dB at 1 GHz.
• Demonstrated a compact size (0.058 × 0.064).
• Exhibited significant suppression of unwanted harmonics up to the 16th harmonic with low passband ripple.

Conclusions:

• The proposed MWPD, optimized with PSO and novel resonators, offers excellent performance characteristics.
• The fabricated circuit validates simulation predictions, showing high return loss, suitable S₁₂, and harmonic suppression.
• The compact and efficient MWPD is suitable for various high-frequency applications, including radar systems.