Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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Power Dividers & & Directional Couplers
youtube.com/watch?v=zprCdHuYPQw&list=PLFxhgwM1F4yw6Tr6WXznuCEa7xhxWQgkS

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Power Divider #5. T-Junction Resistive Power Divider: Why Half Power is Lost in Resistors Explained?
Power Divider #5. Why is Half Power Lost in Resistors (Heat) for T-Junction Resistive Power Divider.

A T-junction resistive power divider is a simple and common microwave component used to split an input signal into two output signals with equal or unequal power division. In this specific case (#5), we're analyzing a 3-port equal-split (3 dB) power divider, where half of the input power is delivered to each output port, and the other half is dissipated in the internal resistors.

Key Characteristics of the Resistive Power Divider
Equal Power Division: The input power
Pin is split equally between the two output ports (P2=P3=Pin/2)
Resistive Loss: Half of the input power is dissipated in the internal resistors (hence, it's lossy).

Impedance Matching: All ports are matched to the characteristic impedance
Z0 (typically 50 Ω).

Isolation: The two output ports are isolated from each other (no power transfer between them).

Circuit Diagram
The T-junction resistive power divider consists of:

Input Port (Port 1): Connected to the source with impedance Z0.

Output Ports (Port 2 & Port 3): Each terminated in Z0.

Resistors: Two resistors of value Z0 arranged in a "T" configuration:

One resistor (R=Z0) between Port 2 and Port 3.

Two resistors (R=Z0) connecting Port 1 to Port 2 and Port 1 to Port 3.

Why Half the Power is Dissipated?
The divider is resistive, meaning it inherently consumes power.

Only half of
Pin reaches the output ports; the rest is lost as heat in the resistors.

This makes the resistive divider lossy compared to a Wilkinson divider (which is lossless when ports are matched).

Advantages & Disadvantages
✅ Advantages:

Simple design.

Broadband operation (works over a wide frequency range).

All ports are matched (S11 = S22 = S33 =0)

Good isolation between output ports.

❌ Disadvantages:

High power loss (50% dissipation).

Not suitable for high-power applications due to resistor heating.