LOU FRENZEL | Contributing Editor

A Primer on
Circulators and Isolators
These essential devices help direct the flow of microwave signals in RF equipment and
systems. Here’s what you need to know about them.

C
irculators and isolators are three-port passive elec- 2
1 2
tronic devices that help direct the flow of micro-
wave signals in RF equipment and systems. A port
is defined as a connection point for either an input 3
1 3
signal, output signal, or termination. Figure 1a shows the stan- 50 Ω
termination
dard schematic symbol for a circulator. The arrow indicates
(a) (b)
the unidirectional flow any signals from port to port.
1. Shown are (a) the common schematic symbol of a circulator and (b)
HOW A CIRCULATOR WORKS the schematic symbol of an isolator.
Figure 1a shows a circulator, where any port can be an input
or an output. A signal applied to port 1 will be passed to port rial (Fig. 3). Two strong permanent magnets are positioned
2 with minimum attenuation. A signal input to port 2 will pass on either side of the ferrite disks. The magnets send a strong
to port 3, but not back to port 1. An input to port 3 will pass magnetic field axially through the ferrite disks. The ferrite ma-
to port 1, but not in reverse to port 2. The amount of insertion terial supports and focuses the magnetic field around the Y-
loss from port to port is typically in the 0.2- to 0.75-dB range. junction. The axial magnetic field is called the bias.
If one of the ports is terminated in a resistance equal to the When a signal is applied to one of the ports, an electromag-
impedance of the port, usually 50 Ω, the circulator becomes netic field is set up in the strip line. This field then interacts
an isolator (Fig. 1b). An input signal at port 1 will pass to and with the applied bias magnetic field, causing the signal to ro-
exit port 2 if port 2 is properly matched to 50 Ω. If there is a tate in one direction to the next adjacent port.
mismatch at port 2, any reflected signal will be passed to port The assembly made up of the Y-junction and the ferrite
3 and absorbed by the load. This protects or isolates port 1 disks forms a dielectric resonator that has a resonant frequen-
from port 2 in the reverse direction. cy. The circulator is not operated at
Dielectric Copper
this frequency. Operation takes place
CONSTRUCTION (PCB) strip line in regions above or below the resonant
A circulator is typically a Y-shaped sec- frequency of the device, where attenu-
tion of microstrip or stripline transmission ation is minimal.
line on a printed circuit board or other di-
electric (Fig. 2). The line impedance is 50 Ω. To coax APPLICATIONS
The ports, spaced 120 deg. apart, are com- connector The most common application of a
monly terminated with SMA or N-type co- circulator is as a duplexer. A duplexer
axial connectors. allows the transmitter and receiver in
The Y-junction assembly is then sand- 2. The Y-shaped strip line circuit is the heart a radio or radar unit to share a com-
wiched between two layers of ferrite mate- of the circulator. mon antenna (Fig. 4). The transmitter

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 Axial magnetic
field

Permanent
magnets

Ferrite disks
Strip line
on dielectric

7. This circulator (SFC13175) from Fairview Microwave operates

3. This common construction of a circulator shows a Y strip line, over the 135- to 175-MHz range. Maximum insertion loss is 0.5 dB,
ferrite disks, and magnets. There is no spacing between actual disk minimum isolation is 20 dB, and maximum power is 150 W. Input and
components as shown here. output is by way of SMA connectors.

output is applied to port 1 and will pass to port 2, where the as high as 100 GHz. Most devices available have a narrower
antenna is connected. The receiver input is connected to port operating range with a finite bandwidth. When operating
3. A signal received by the antenna is passed to port 3, but above resonance, lower frequencies are better accommodated
not back to port 1. The transmitter output is not passed to the over narrower bandwidths. Below resonance operation usu-
receiver input. The key effect is to prevent the typically high ally allows for wider bandwidths.
transmitter power from damaging the receiver input circuits. Insertion loss: This is the attenuation from port to port in
A common use of an isolator is shown in Fig. 5. The isola- the forward direction. It usually ranges from 0.1 to 0.75 dB.
tor is connected between a signal genera- Isolation: This is the attenuation in the
tor and some device under test (DUT). Transmitter reverse flow direction. It is typically in
output Antenna
If all impedances are matched, the sig- the 17- to 35-dB range.
nal passes freely to the DUT. If there is VSWR: This value indicates the maxi-
a mismatch at the DUT or if the DUT is mum mismatch and reflected power
disconnected, it creates a high-voltage Receiver from output port to input port. The usual
input
standing wave ratio (VSWR), causing a range is 1.1:1 to 1.4:1.
large reflected signal. The circulator ab- 4. This circulator connected as a duplexer Power: This is the average maximum
sorbs this signal, protecting the usually allows a transmitter and receiver to share a power that the device can handle. For-
expensive signal generator. common antenna. ward and reverse (reflected) power levels
The attenuation of an isolator in the are usually given. Typical power ratings
reverse direction is typically in the 20-dB Signal range from 1 to 1,000 W.
generator DUT
range. If greater attenuation is needed, Temperature range: This is important
two isolators can be cascaded as shown as ferrite characteristics and magnetic
in Fig. 6. The result is a four-port device field strengths vary with temperature.
that can boost attenuation to about 40 dB A common maximum range is –50 to
or so. Such four-port units are available +100°C.
as a single product rather than two indi- 5. This isolator is connected to protect a sig- Impedance: The characteristic imped-
vidual isolators. nal generator in a test setup. ance of the ports is virtually always 50 Ω.
Figure 7 shows a representative com-
SPECIFICATIONS mercial circulator.
When specifying or buying a circulator Input Output
or isolator, the most important character- REFERENCES
istics to consider are: 1. Cheung, W. S. and Levien, F. H., Microwaves Made
Simple, Artech House, Inc. 1985.
Frequency of operation and bandwidth: 2. Edridge, Tony, Basic Facts about Circulators & Isola-
Circulators and isolators can operate over tors, M2 Global Technologies, Ltd.
a range from about 700 MHz to 20 GHz. 3. Frenzel, Louis E., Principles of Electronic Communi-
cations Systems, 4th edition, McGraw Hill, 2016.
Special designs may permit operational 6. Two series-connected isolators form a 4. MECA Electronics, Inc., Isolator & Circulator Basics,
frequencies as low as about 50 MHz and four-port device with double the isolation. Microwave Product Digest, June, 2010.

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5. Spectrum Elektrotechnik. GmbH, Isolators & Circulators. 4. This circulator connected as a duplexer allows a transmitter and receiver to share
Figure Captions a common antenna.
1. Shown are (a) the common schematic symbol of a circulator and (b) the sche- 5. This isolator is connected to protect a signal generator in a test setup.
matic symbol of an isolator. 6. Two series-connected isolators form a four-port device with double the isolation.
2. The Y-shaped strip line circuit is the heart of the circulator. 7. This circulator (SFC13175) from Fairview Microwave operates over the 135- to
3. This common construction of a circulator shows a Y strip line, ferrite disks, and 175-MHz range. Maximum insertion loss is 0.5 dB, minimum isolation is 20 dB, and
magnets. There is no spacing between actual disk components as shown here. maximum power is 150 W. Input and output is by way of SMA connectors.

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