A two-port network (a kind of four-terminal network or quadripole) is an
electrical network (
circuit) or device with two ''pairs'' of terminals to connect to external circuits. Two terminals constitute a
port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
if the currents applied to them satisfy the essential requirement known as the port condition: the
electric current
An electric current is a stream of charged particles, such as electrons or ions, moving through an electrical conductor or space. It is measured as the net rate of flow of electric charge through a surface or into a control volume. The moving pa ...
entering one terminal must equal the current emerging from the other terminal on the same port.
[Gray, §3.2, p. 172][Jaeger, §10.5 §13.5 §13.8] The ports constitute interfaces where the network connects to other networks, the points where signals are applied or outputs are taken. In a two-port network, often port 1 is considered the input port and port 2 is considered the output port.
It's used in mathematical
circuit analysis
A network, in the context of electrical engineering and electronics, is a collection of interconnected components. Network analysis is the process of finding the voltages across, and the currents through, all network components. There are many t ...
.
Application
The two-port network model is used in mathematical
circuit analysis
A network, in the context of electrical engineering and electronics, is a collection of interconnected components. Network analysis is the process of finding the voltages across, and the currents through, all network components. There are many t ...
techniques to isolate portions of larger circuits. A two-port network is regarded as a "
black box" with its properties specified by a
matrix
Matrix most commonly refers to:
* ''The Matrix'' (franchise), an American media franchise
** ''The Matrix'', a 1999 science-fiction action film
** "The Matrix", a fictional setting, a virtual reality environment, within ''The Matrix'' (franchis ...
of numbers. This allows the response of the network to signals applied to the ports to be calculated easily, without solving for all the internal voltages and currents in the network. It also allows similar circuits or devices to be compared easily. For example, transistors are often regarded as two-ports, characterized by their h-parameters (see below) which are listed by the manufacturer. Any
linear circuit
A linear circuit is an electronic circuit which obeys the superposition principle. This means that the output of the circuit ''F(x)'' when a linear combination of signals ''ax1(t) + bx2(t)'' is applied to it is equal to the linear combination o ...
with four terminals can be regarded as a two-port network provided that it does not contain an independent source and satisfies the port conditions.
Examples of circuits analyzed as two-ports are
filters,
matching network
In electronics, impedance matching is the practice of designing or adjusting the input impedance or output impedance of an electrical device for a desired value. Often, the desired value is selected to maximize power transfer or minimize signal ...
s,
transmission line
In electrical engineering, a transmission line is a specialized cable or other structure designed to conduct electromagnetic waves in a contained manner. The term applies when the conductors are long enough that the wave nature of the transmis ...
s,
transformer
A transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces a varying magnetic flux in the transformer' ...
s, and
small-signal models for transistors (such as the
hybrid-pi model The hybrid-pi model is a popular circuit model used for analyzing the small signal behavior of bipolar junction and field effect transistors. Sometimes it is also called Giacoletto model because it was introduced by L.J. Giacoletto in 1969. The m ...
). The analysis of passive two-port networks is an outgrowth of
reciprocity theorems first derived by Lorentz.
In two-port mathematical models, the network is described by a 2 by 2 square matrix of
complex number
In mathematics, a complex number is an element of a number system that extends the real numbers with a specific element denoted , called the imaginary unit and satisfying the equation i^= -1; every complex number can be expressed in the form ...
s. The common models that are used are referred to as ''z-parameters'', ''y-parameters'', ''h-parameters'', ''g-parameters'', and ''ABCD-parameters'', each described individually below. These are all limited to linear networks since an underlying assumption of their derivation is that any given circuit condition is a linear superposition of various short-circuit and open circuit conditions. They are usually expressed in matrix notation, and they establish relations between the variables
:
, voltage across port 1
:
, current into port 1
:
, voltage across port 2
:
, current into port 2
which are shown in figure 1. The difference between the various models lies in which of these variables are regarded as the
independent variable
Dependent and independent variables are variables in mathematical modeling, statistical modeling and experimental sciences. Dependent variables receive this name because, in an experiment, their values are studied under the supposition or demand ...
s. These
current and
voltage
Voltage, also known as electric pressure, electric tension, or (electric) potential difference, is the difference in electric potential between two points. In a static electric field, it corresponds to the work needed per unit of charge to m ...
variables are most useful at low-to-moderate frequencies. At high frequencies (e.g., microwave frequencies), the use of
power and
energy
In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of heat a ...
variables is more appropriate, and the two-port current–voltage approach is replaced by an approach based upon
scattering parameters.
General properties
There are certain properties of two-ports that frequently occur in practical networks and can be used to greatly simplify the analysis. These include:
;
Reciprocal networks: A network is said to be reciprocal if the voltage appearing at port 2 due to a current applied at port 1 is the same as the voltage appearing at port 1 when the same current is applied to port 2. Exchanging voltage and current results in an equivalent definition of reciprocity. A network that consists entirely of linear passive components (that is, resistors, capacitors and inductors) is usually reciprocal, a notable exception being passive
circulator
A circulator is a passive, non-reciprocal three- or four-port device that only allows a microwave or radio-frequency signal to exit through the port directly after the one it entered. Optical circulators have similar behavior. Ports are where an ...
s and
isolators that contain magnetized materials. In general, it ''will not'' be reciprocal if it contains active components such as generators or transistors.
; Symmetrical networks: A network is symmetrical if its input impedance is equal to its output impedance. Most often, but not necessarily, symmetrical networks are also physically symmetrical. Sometimes also
antimetrical networks are of interest. These are networks where the input and output impedances are the
duals of each other.
; Lossless network: A lossless network is one which contains no resistors or other dissipative elements.
[Matthaei et al, p. 27.]
Impedance parameters (z-parameters)
:
where
:
All the z-parameters have dimensions of
ohm
Ohm (symbol Ω) is a unit of electrical resistance named after Georg Ohm.
Ohm or OHM may also refer to:
People
* Georg Ohm (1789–1854), German physicist and namesake of the term ''ohm''
* Germán Ohm (born 1936), Mexican boxer
* Jörg Ohm (b ...
s.
For reciprocal networks
. For symmetrical networks
. For reciprocal lossless networks all the
are purely imaginary.
[Matthaei et al, p. 29.]
Example: bipolar current mirror with emitter degeneration
Figure 3 shows a bipolar current mirror with emitter resistors to increase its output resistance.
[The emitter-leg resistors counteract any current increase by decreasing the transistor ''V''BE. That is, the resistors ''R''E cause negative feedback that opposes change in current. In particular, any change in output voltage results in less change in current than without this feedback, which means the output resistance of the mirror has increased.] Transistor ''Q''
1 is ''diode connected'', which is to say its collector-base voltage is zero. Figure 4 shows the small-signal circuit equivalent to Figure 3. Transistor ''Q''
1 is represented by its emitter resistance ''r''
E ≈ ''V''
T/''I''
E (''V''
T is thermal voltage, ''I''
E is
Q-point
In electronics, biasing is the setting of DC (direct current) operating conditions (current and voltage) of an active device in an amplifier. Many electronic devices, such as diodes, transistors and vacuum tubes, whose function is processing ...
emitter current), a simplification made possible because the dependent current source in the hybrid-pi model for ''Q''
1 draws the same current as a resistor 1 / ''g''
m connected across ''r''
π. The second transistor ''Q''
2 is represented by its
hybrid-pi model The hybrid-pi model is a popular circuit model used for analyzing the small signal behavior of bipolar junction and field effect transistors. Sometimes it is also called Giacoletto model because it was introduced by L.J. Giacoletto in 1969. The m ...
. Table 1 below shows the z-parameter expressions that make the z-equivalent circuit of Figure 2 electrically equivalent to the small-signal circuit of Figure 4.
The negative feedback introduced by resistors ''R''
E can be seen in these parameters. For example, when used as an active load in a differential amplifier, ''I''
1 ≈ −''I''
2, making the output impedance of the mirror approximately ''R''
22 − ''R''
21 ≈ 2β''r''
O''R''
E /(''r''
π + 2''R''
E) compared to only ''r
O'' without feedback (that is with ''R''
E = 0Ω) . At the same time, the impedance on the reference side of the mirror is approximately ''R''
11 − ''R''
12 ≈
, only a moderate value, but still larger than ''r''
E with no feedback. In the differential amplifier application, a large output resistance increases the difference-mode gain, a good thing, and a small mirror input resistance is desirable to avoid
Miller effect In electronics, the Miller effect accounts for the increase in the equivalent input capacitance of an inverting voltage amplifier due to amplification of the effect of capacitance between the input and output terminals. The virtually increased input ...
.
Admittance parameters (y-parameters)
:
where
:
All the Y-parameters have dimensions of
siemens
Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad.
The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', '' ...
.
For reciprocal networks
. For symmetrical networks
. For reciprocal lossless networks all the
are purely imaginary.
[
]
Hybrid parameters (h-parameters)
:
where
:
This circuit is often selected when a current amplifier is desired at the output. The resistors shown in the diagram can be general impedances instead.
Off-diagonal h-parameters are dimensionless, while diagonal members have dimensions the reciprocal of one another.
For reciprocal networks . For symmetrical networks . For reciprocal lossless networks and are real, while and are purely imaginary.
Example: common-base amplifier
Note: Tabulated formulas in Table 2 make the h-equivalent circuit of the transistor from Figure 6 agree with its small-signal low-frequency hybrid-pi model The hybrid-pi model is a popular circuit model used for analyzing the small signal behavior of bipolar junction and field effect transistors. Sometimes it is also called Giacoletto model because it was introduced by L.J. Giacoletto in 1969. The m ...
in Figure 7. Notation: ''r''π is base resistance of transistor, ''r''O is output resistance, and ''g''m is mutual transconductance. The negative sign for ''h''21 reflects the convention that ''I''1, ''I''2 are positive when directed ''into'' the two-port. A non-zero value for ''h''12 means the output voltage affects the input voltage, that is, this amplifier is bilateral. If ''h''12 = 0, the amplifier is unilateral.
History
The h-parameters were initially called ''series-parallel parameters''. The term ''hybrid'' to describe these parameters was coined by D. A. Alsberg in 1953 in "Transistor metrology". In 1954 a joint committee of the IRE
Ire or IRE may refer to:
Ire
* Extreme anger; intense fury
* Irē, the Livonian name for Mazirbe, Latvia
* A town in Oye, Nigeria
* ''Ire'' (album), a 2015 album by the Australian metalcore band Parkway Drive
* Ire (Iliad), a town mentioned in ...
and the AIEE adopted the term ''h parameters'' and recommended that these become the standard method of testing and characterising transistors because they were "peculiarly adaptable to the physical characteristics of transistors". In 1956 the recommendation became an issued standard; 56 IRE 28.S2. Following the merge of these two organisations as the IEEE
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operation ...
, the standard became Std 218-1956 and was reaffirmed in 1980, but has now been withdrawn.
Inverse hybrid parameters (g-parameters)
:
where
:
Often this circuit is selected when a voltage amplifier is wanted at the output. Off-diagonal g-parameters are dimensionless, while diagonal members have dimensions the reciprocal of one another. The resistors shown in the diagram can be general impedances instead.
Example: common-base amplifier
Note: Tabulated formulas in Table 3 make the g-equivalent circuit of the transistor from Figure 8 agree with its small-signal low-frequency hybrid-pi model The hybrid-pi model is a popular circuit model used for analyzing the small signal behavior of bipolar junction and field effect transistors. Sometimes it is also called Giacoletto model because it was introduced by L.J. Giacoletto in 1969. The m ...
in Figure 9. Notation: ''r''π is base resistance of transistor, ''r''O is output resistance, and ''g''m is mutual transconductance. The negative sign for ''g''12 reflects the convention that ''I''1, ''I''2 are positive when directed ''into'' the two-port. A non-zero value for ''g''12 means the output current affects the input current, that is, this amplifier is bilateral. If ''g''12 = 0, the amplifier is unilateral.
''ABCD''-parameters
The ''ABCD''-parameters are known variously as chain, cascade, or transmission parameters. There are a number of definitions given for ''ABCD'' parameters, the most common is,
:
where
:
For reciprocal networks . For symmetrical networks . For networks which are reciprocal and lossless, ''A'' and ''D'' are purely real while ''B'' and ''C'' are purely imaginary.[
This representation is preferred because when the parameters are used to represent a cascade of two-ports, the matrices are written in the same order that a network diagram would be drawn, that is, left to right. However, a variant definition is also in use,
:
where
:
The negative sign of arises to make the output current of one cascaded stage (as it appears in the matrix) equal to the input current of the next. Without the minus sign the two currents would have opposite senses because the positive direction of current, by convention, is taken as the current entering the port. Consequently, the input voltage/current matrix vector can be directly replaced with the matrix equation of the preceding cascaded stage to form a combined matrix.
The terminology of representing the parameters as a matrix of elements designated ''a''11 etc. as adopted by some authors and the inverse parameters as a matrix of elements designated ''b''11 etc. is used here for both brevity and to avoid confusion with circuit elements.
:
An ''ABCD'' matrix has been defined for telephony four-wire transmission Systems by P K Webb in British Post Office Research Department Report 630 in 1977.
]
Table of transmission parameters
The table below lists ''ABCD'' and inverse ''ABCD'' parameters for some simple network elements.
Scattering parameters (S-parameters)
The previous parameters are all defined in terms of voltages and currents at ports. ''S''-parameters are different, and are defined in terms of incident and reflected waves at ports. ''S''-parameters are used primarily at UHF
Ultra high frequency (UHF) is the ITU designation for radio frequencies in the range between 300 megahertz (MHz) and 3 gigahertz (GHz), also known as the decimetre band as the wavelengths range from one meter to one tenth of a meter (on ...
and microwave
Microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths ranging from about one meter to one millimeter corresponding to frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz respectively. Different sources define different frequency ran ...
frequencies where it becomes difficult to measure voltages and currents directly. On the other hand, incident and reflected power are easy to measure using directional coupler
Power dividers (also power splitters and, when used in reverse, power combiners) and directional couplers are passive devices used mostly in the field of radio technology. They couple a defined amount of the electromagnetic power in a transmiss ...
s. The definition is,[Vasileska & Goodnick, p. 137]
:
where the are the incident waves and the are the reflected waves at port ''k''. It is conventional to define the and in terms of the square root of power. Consequently, there is a relationship with the wave voltages (see main article for details).
For reciprocal networks . For symmetrical networks . For antimetrical networks . For lossless reciprocal networks and .
Scattering transfer parameters (T-parameters)
Scattering transfer parameters, like scattering parameters, are defined in terms of incident and reflected waves. The difference is that ''T''-parameters relate the waves at port 1 to the waves at port 2 whereas ''S''-parameters relate the reflected waves to the incident waves. In this respect ''T''-parameters fill the same role as ''ABCD'' parameters and allow the ''T''-parameters of cascaded networks to be calculated by matrix multiplication of the component networks. ''T''-parameters, like ''ABCD'' parameters, can also be called transmission parameters. The definition is,[
:
''T''-parameters are not as easy to measure directly as ''S''-parameters. However, ''S''-parameters are easily converted to ''T''-parameters, see main article for details.
]
Combinations of two-port networks
When two or more two-port networks are connected, the two-port parameters of the combined network can be found by performing matrix algebra on the matrices of parameters for the component two-ports. The matrix operation can be made particularly simple with an appropriate choice of two-port parameters to match the form of connection of the two-ports. For instance, the z-parameters are best for series connected ports.
The combination rules need to be applied with care. Some connections (when dissimilar potentials are joined) result in the port condition being invalidated and the combination rule will no longer apply. A Brune test can be used to check the permissibility of the combination. This difficulty can be overcome by placing 1:1 ideal transformers on the outputs of the problem two-ports. This does not change the parameters of the two-ports, but does ensure that they will continue to meet the port condition when interconnected. An example of this problem is shown for series-series connections in figures 11 and 12 below.[Farago, pp. 122–127.]
Series-series connection
When two-ports are connected in a series-series configuration as shown in figure 10, the best choice of two-port parameter is the ''z''-parameters. The ''z''-parameters of the combined network are found by matrix addition of the two individual ''z''-parameter matrices.
:
As mentioned above, there are some networks which will not yield directly to this analysis.[ A simple example is a two-port consisting of a L-network of resistors ''R''1 and ''R''2. The ''z''-parameters for this network are;
:
Figure 11 shows two identical such networks connected in series-series. The total ''z''-parameters predicted by matrix addition are;
:
However, direct analysis of the combined circuit shows that,
:
The discrepancy is explained by observing that ''R''1 of the lower two-port has been by-passed by the short-circuit between two terminals of the output ports. This results in no current flowing through one terminal in each of the input ports of the two individual networks. Consequently, the port condition is broken for both the input ports of the original networks since current is still able to flow into the other terminal. This problem can be resolved by inserting an ideal transformer in the output port of at least one of the two-port networks. While this is a common text-book approach to presenting the theory of two-ports, the practicality of using transformers is a matter to be decided for each individual design.
]
Parallel-parallel connection
When two-ports are connected in a parallel-parallel configuration as shown in figure 13, the best choice of two-port parameter is the ''y''-parameters. The ''y''-parameters of the combined network are found by matrix addition of the two individual ''y''-parameter matrices.
:
Series-parallel connection
When two-ports are connected in a series-parallel configuration as shown in figure 14, the best choice of two-port parameter is the ''h''-parameters. The ''h''-parameters of the combined network are found by matrix addition of the two individual ''h''-parameter matrices.
:
Parallel-series connection
When two-ports are connected in a parallel-series configuration as shown in figure 15, the best choice of two-port parameter is the ''g''-parameters. The ''g''-parameters of the combined network are found by matrix addition of the two individual ''g''-parameter matrices.
:
Cascade connection
When two-ports are connected with the output port of the first connected to the input port of the second (a cascade connection) as shown in figure 16, the best choice of two-port parameter is the ''ABCD''-parameters. The ''a''-parameters of the combined network are found by matrix multiplication of the two individual ''a''-parameter matrices.[Farago, pp. 128–134.]
:
A chain of ''n'' two-ports may be combined by matrix multiplication of the ''n'' matrices. To combine a cascade of ''b''-parameter matrices, they are again multiplied, but the multiplication must be carried out in reverse order, so that;
:
Example
Suppose we have a two-port network consisting of a series resistor ''R'' followed by a shunt capacitor ''C''. We can model the entire network as a cascade of two simpler networks:
:
The transmission matrix for the entire network is simply the matrix multiplication of the transmission matrices for the two network elements:
:
Thus:
:
Interrelation of parameters
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Where is the determinant
In mathematics, the determinant is a scalar value that is a function of the entries of a square matrix. It characterizes some properties of the matrix and the linear map represented by the matrix. In particular, the determinant is nonzero if and ...
of ''x
Certain pairs of matrices have a particularly simple relationship. The admittance parameters are the matrix inverse
In linear algebra, an -by- square matrix is called invertible (also nonsingular or nondegenerate), if there exists an -by- square matrix such that
:\mathbf = \mathbf = \mathbf_n \
where denotes the -by- identity matrix and the multiplicati ...
of the impedance parameters, the inverse hybrid parameters are the matrix inverse of the hybrid parameters, and the ''bform of the ABCD-parameters is the matrix inverse of the ''aform. That is,
:
Networks with more than two ports
While two port networks are very common (e.g., amplifiers and filters), other electrical networks such as directional couplers and circulators
A circulator is a passive, non-reciprocal three- or four-port device that only allows a microwave or radio-frequency signal to exit through the port directly after the one it entered. Optical circulators have similar behavior. Ports are where an ...
have more than 2 ports. The following representations are also applicable to networks with an arbitrary number of ports:
* Admittance (''y'') parameters
* Impedance (''z'') parameters
* Scattering (''S'') parameters
For example, three-port impedance parameters result in the following relationship:
:
However the following representations are necessarily limited to two-port devices:
*Hybrid (''h'') parameters
*Inverse hybrid (''g'') parameters
*Transmission (''ABCD'') parameters
*Scattering transfer (''T'') parameters
Collapsing a two-port to a one port
A two-port network has four variables with two of them being independent. If one of the ports is terminated by a load with no independent sources, then the load enforces a relationship between the voltage and current of that port. A degree of freedom is lost. The circuit now has only one independent parameter. The two-port becomes a one-port
In electrical circuit theory, a port is a pair of terminals connecting an electrical network or circuit to an external circuit, as a point of entry or exit for electrical energy. A port consists of two nodes (terminals) connected to an outside ...
impedance to the remaining independent variable.
For example, consider impedance parameters
:
Connecting a load, ''Z''L onto port 2 effectively adds the constraint
:
The negative sign is because the positive direction for I2 is directed into the two-port instead of into the load. The augmented equations become
:
The second equation can be easily solved for ''I''2 as a function of ''I''1 and that expression can replace ''I''2 in the first equation leaving ''V''1 ( and ''V''2 and ''I''2 ) as functions of ''I''1
:
So, in effect, ''I''1 sees an input impedance and the two-port's effect on the input circuit has been effectively collapsed down to a one-port; i.e., a simple two terminal impedance.
See also
* Admittance parameters
* Impedance parameters
* Scattering parameters
* Ray transfer matrix
Notes
References
Bibliography
*Carlin, HJ, Civalleri, PP, ''Wideband circuit design'', CRC Press, 1998. .
*William F. Egan, ''Practical RF system design'', Wiley-IEEE, 2003 .
*Farago, PS, ''An Introduction to Linear Network Analysis'', The English Universities Press Ltd, 1961.
*
*Ghosh, Smarajit, ''Network Theory: Analysis and Synthesis'', Prentice Hall of India .
*
*Matthaei, Young, Jones, ''Microwave Filters, Impedance-Matching Networks, and Coupling Structures'', McGraw-Hill, 1964.
*Mahmood Nahvi, Joseph Edminister, ''Schaum's outline of theory and problems of electric circuits'', McGraw-Hill Professional, 2002 .
*Dragica Vasileska, Stephen Marshall Goodnick, ''Computational electronics'', Morgan & Claypool Publishers, 2006 .
*Clayton R. Paul, ''Analysis of Multiconductor Transmission Lines'', John Wiley & Sons, 2008 , 9780470131541.
h-parameters history
* D. A. Alsberg, "Transistor metrology", ''IRE Convention Record'', part 9, pp. 39–44, 1953.
**also published a
"Transistor metrology"
''Transactions of the IRE Professional Group on Electron Devices'', vol. ED-1, iss. 3, pp. 12–17, August 1954.
* AIEE-IRE joint committee
"Proposed methods of testing transistors"
''Transactions of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers: Communications and Electronics'', pp. 725–740, January 1955.
"IRE Standards on solid-state devices: methods of testing transistors, 1956"
''Proceedings of the IRE'', vol. 44, iss. 11, pp. 1542–1561, November, 1956.
''IEEE Standard Methods of Testing Transistors''
IEEE Std 218-1956.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Two-Port Network
Transfer functions