A broadband series power divider using zero-degree metamaterial phase-shifting lines

Abstract

A metamaterial 1:4 series power divider that provides equal power split to all four output ports over a large bandwidth is presented, which can be extended to an arbitrary number of output ports. The divider comprises four nonradiating metamaterial lines in series, incurring a zero insertion phase over a large bandwidth, while simultaneously maintaining a compact length of /spl lambda//sub 0//8. Compared to a series power divider employing conventional one-wavelength long meandered transmission lines to provide in-phase signals at the output ports, the metamaterial divider provides a 165% increase in the input return-loss bandwidth and a 155% and 154% increase in the through-power bandwidth to ports 3 and 4, respectively. In addition, the metamaterial divider is significantly more compact, occupying only 2.6% of the area that the transmission line divider occupies. The metamaterial and transmission line dividers exhibit comparable insertion losses.