Scattering Parameters Of Waveguide Devices

S-parameters refer to the scattering matrix. The concept was first popularized around the time that Kaneyuke Kurokawa of Bell Labs wrote his 1965 IEEE article Power Waves and the Scattering Matrix. It helped that during the 1960s Hewlett Packard introduced the first microwave network analyzers. The scattering matrix is a mathematical construct that quantifies how RF energy propagates through a multi-port network. The S-matrix is what allows us to accurately describe the properties of incredibly complicated networks as simple black boxes. One difficulty associated with transmission parameters is that in a practical high-frequency circuit it is extremely difficult to obtain the perfect open- circuit and short-circuit conditions required to make good measurements. The S- parameter method circumvents the open/short difficulties by always connecting both ports to transmission lines with stable well-defined impedances. To the extent that such a test setup better represents the actual working conditions of your circuit the S-parameter method generates a more accurate model. These are the reasons why this research topic is chosen.