ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

325

SOME ASPECTS OF THE DESIGN OF BALANCED RECTIFIER MODULATORS FOR PRECISION APPLICATIONS , Ph.D., Associate Member. By D. G.
(ABSTRACT of a Radio Section paper which was published in May, 1948, in Part III of the Journal.)

The design of balanced rectifier modulators of ring and Cowan types is discussed, and it is shown how the performance of the modulator depends on rectifier characteristics, the circuit impedance in which the modulator operates, the resistance of the carrier generator, and the carrier voltage. The main performance features discussed are efficiency, stability, production of unwanted modulation products, impedance, and carrier leak. It is shown that there are advantages in designing a modulator for maximum efficiency by choosing a circuit impedance of optimum value and a carrier supply of high resistance. Variations in efficiency due to variations in carrier voltage, circuit impedance and temperature are then a minimum although it may be necessary to have each rectifier shunted with a constant resistance to achieve this. The production of modulation products of higher order is greatest in a modulator of maximum efficiency in which the circuit providing the carrier is of high resistance, and is reduced considerably if inefficient working and a low-resistance circuit are used. Further reduction, if desired, can be obtained by the use of a large bias on the rectifiers, and it has been found possible to reduce the 3/c f sidebands to over 26 db below the fcf sidebands (where fc = carrier frequency a n d / = signal frequency). This method is of value only
Dr. Tucker is at the Post Office Research Station.

in ring modulators, as with the Cowan circuit it introduces products of the type 2/ c / . It is shown that the ordinary potentiometer adjustment for carrier leak compensates only the unbalances between the low forward resistances of the rectifiers, and there remains an out-ofbalance current at small values of the instantaneous carrier voltage. This effect can be reduced by using a high-resistance carrier supply and by appropriate selection of the rectifiers; a further improvement, in the case of ring modulators, can be . obtained by the use of large biases on the rectifiers. Carrier leaks as low as 60 db relative to 1 volt in 600 ohms, or 40 db below sideband-level, when high-level signals are applied, can readily be obtained and maintained in modulators with at least 1 volt carrier peak voltage across the rectifiers. It is assumed throughout that the rectifiers are purely resistive, as with the diodes and crystal valves now available, the effect of the capacitance is negligible up to frequencies of the order of 1 Mc/s. A method of design of a ring modulator is described in which the input impedance remains relatively constant over the cycle of carrier, voltage; this may have important applications in precision circuits. A brief statement of the main relationships between the performance and design factors of a ring modulator is given in Table 1.

TABLE 1 SUMMARY OF EFFECTS OF DESIGN FACTORS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF R I N G Design factors Performance factors Circuit impedance Impedance of carrier generator Selection of elements and resistance balancing Bias MODULATOR

Efficiency

Maximum efficiency when High-impedance generator circuit impedance gives maximum efficiency _ . /forward x backward\ * \ resistances ) A compromise is generally required; see Appendix 9.3 Unbalance current is independent of circuit impedance. Leak voltage is proportional to circuit impedance Since optimum impedance gives a modulating function which is nearest to a square form, this condition also gives maximum proportion of the nfc f products Effect small

Negligible effect

A small bias (positive for metal and crystal rectifiers and generally negative for diodes) will increase the efficiency Auto-bias will make efficiency more dependent on carrier voltage A large negative bias enables better adjustment of carrier balance to be made; requires a carrier generator of low impedance A critical adjustment of bias enables the proportion of one pair of products of the type nfc f to be reduced. The reduction may be considerable if a carrier generator of low impedance is used

Stability

Negligible effect

Carrier leak

High-impedance generator gives minimum carrier leak in the basic circuit, but makes the use of a large bias ineffective High-impedance generator gives a modulating function which is nearest to a square form, so also gives maximum proportion of the nfc /products

A suitable selection and balancing process enables the leak to be reduced much more

Proportion of nfc f products

Negligible effect