W.C.

Chew
ECE 350 Lecture Notes

21. Innite Parallel Plate Waveguide.

x
y
z

x=0

x=b

We have studied TEM (transverse electromagnetic) waves between two

pieces of parallel conductors in the transmission line theory. We shall study
other kinds of waves between two innite parallel plates, or planes. We have
learnt earlier that for a plane wave incident on a plane interface, the wave
can be categorized into TE (transverse electric) with electric eld polarized in
the y-direction. Hence, between a parallel plate waveguide, we shall look for
solutions of TE type with E = y^Ey , or TM (transverse magnetic) type with
H = y^@Hy . We shall assume that the eld does not vary in the y-direction so
that @y = 0.
We have shown earlier that if r  E = 0, the equation for the E eld in a
source region is
(r2 + !2)E = 0:
If r  H = 0, the equation for the H eld is
(r2 + !2)H = 0:
Since @y@ = 0, r2 = @x@22 + @z@22 in these two equations.

(1)
(2)

I. TM Case, H = y^Hy .
In this case,


@ 2 + @ 2 + !2 H = 0:
y
@x2 @z2
1

(3)

If we assume that

Hy = A(x)e;jzz 
(4)
substituting (4) into (3), we have
 d2

2
2
(5)
dx2 + !  z A(x) = 0:
Letting x2 = !2 z2 , (5) becomes

 d2
2
(6)
dx2 + x A(x) = 0
where the independent solutions are
 cos  x
(7)
A(x) = sin  xx :
x
Hence, Hy is of the form
 cos  x
Hy = H0 sin  xx e;jz z 
(8)
x
where
x2 + z2 = !2 =  2 
(9)
which are the dispersion relation for plane waves. We can also dene
x =  cos , z =  sin so that (9) is automatically satised.
;

To decide a viable solution from (8), we look at the boundary conditions

for the E-eld at the metallic plates. From r  H = j!E, we have
@H ; @H
j!Ex = @y
(10)
z
@z y
(where @y@ Hz = 0 in the above equation) or

 cos  x

z
Ex = ! H0 sin  xx e;jz z 
x

and

@H @H
j!Ez = @x
y
@y x
(where @y@ Hx = 0 in the above equation) or
 sin  x 

x
Ez = j! H0 cos x x e;jz z :
x
;

(11)
(12)

(13)

The boundary conditions require that Ez (x = 0) = Ez (x = b) = 0. Only the

rst solution gives Ez (x = 0) = 0. Hence, we eliminate the second solution,
or
x H sin( x)e;jz z :
Ez = ; j!
(14)
0
x
In order for Ez (x = b) = 0, we require that
sin xb = 0
(15)
or
xb = m
 m = 0 1 2 3 : : :
(16)
and consequently,
x = m

(17)
b  m = 0 1 2 3 : : : :
This is known as the guidance condition for the waveguide. Finally, we
have
 ;j z

z
x
(18)
Hy = H0 cos m

b e 
z H cos m
x e;jz z 
Ex = !
(19)
0
b
m
H sin m
x  e;jz z 
(20)
Ez = ; j!b
0
b
where


 m
2  21
2
z = ! 

b
;

(21)

which is the dispersion relation for the parallel plate waveguide. Equation
(18) can be written as
(22)
Hy = H20 ejxx + e;jxx]e;jz z = H20 ejxx;jzz + e;jxx;jzz ]:
The rst term in the above represents a plane wave propagating in the positive
z^-direction and the negative x^-direction, while the second term corresponds
to a wave propagating in the positive x and z directions. Hence, the eld in
between a parallel plate waveguide consists of a plane wave bouncing back
and forth between the two plates, as shown.

= ^x x+ ^z z

= x^ x + ^z z

Since we dene x =  cos , z =  sin , the wave propagates in a direction making an angle with the x^-direction. Since the guidance condition
requires that x = mb =  cos , the plane wave can be guided only for
discrete values of .
From (21), we note p
that for dierent m's, z will assume dierent values.
When m = 0, z = ! , Ez = 0, and we have a TEM mode. When
m > 0, we have a TM mode of order m we call it a TMm mode. Hence,
there are innitely many solutions to Maxwell's equations between a parallel
plate waveguide with the eld given by (18), (19), (20), and the dispersion
relation given by (21) where m = 0 1 2 3 : : : .

II. Cuto Frequency

From (21), for a given TMm mode, if !p < mb , then z is pure imaginary. In this case, the wave is purely decaying in the z^-direction, and it is
evanescent and non-propagating. For a given TMm mode, we can always
lower the frequency so that this occurs. When this happens, we say that the
mode is cut o. The cuto frequency is the frequency for which a given
TMm mode becomes cuto when the frequency of the TMm mode is lower
than this cuto frequency. Hence,
m
mv :
!mc = bm

or
f
(23)
p
mc = p =

2b  2b
When
(m + 1)v > f > mv > (m ; 1)v > (m ; 2)v > : : : > 0
(24)
2b
2b
2b
2b
the TEM mode plus all the TMn modes, where 0 < n  m are propagating
or guided while the TMm+1 and higher order modes are evanescent or
cuto. For the parallel plate waveguide, there is one mode with zero cuto
frequency and hence is guided for all frequencies. This is the TEM mode
which is equivalent to the transmission line mode.
The wavelength that corresponds to the cuto frequency is known as the
cuto wavelength, i.e.,
mc = fv = 2mb :
(25)
mc

When < mc, the corresponding TMm mode will be guided. You can think
of as some kind of the \size" of the wave, and that only when the \size" of
the wave is less than mc can a wave \enter" the waveguide. Notice that mc
is proportional to the physical size of the waveguide.

IV. TE Case, E = y^Ey .

4

The eld for the TE case can be derived similarly to the TM case. The
electric eld is polarized in the y^-direction, and satises
 @2 @2

2
(26)
@x2 + @z2 + !  Ey = 0:
The elds can be shown in a similar fashion to be
Ey = E0 sin(xx)e;jzz 
(27)
z E sin( x)e;jzz 
Hx = ; !
(28)
0
x
x E cos( x)e;jzz :
Hz = ; j!
(29)
0
x
The boundary conditions are
Ey (x = 0) = 0 Ey (x = b) = 0:
(30)
This gives
x = m

(31)
b 
as before, where x2 + z2 = !2. Hence, the TEm modes have the same
dispersion relation and cut-o frequency as the TMm mode. However, when
m = 0, x = 0, and (27){(29) imply that we have zero eld. Therefore, TE0
mode does not exist. We say that TEm and TMm modes are degenerate
when they have the same cuto frequencies.
We can decompose (27) into plane waves, i.e.,
(32)
Ey = E2j0 ejxx;jzz ; e;jxx;jz z ]
and interpret the above as bouncing waves. Compared to (22), we see that
the two bouncing waves in (32) are of the opposite signs whereas that in (22)
are of the same sign. This is because the electric eld has to vanish on the
plates while the magnetic eld need not.

TM1 mode eld

H-field

E-field
5

TE1 mode eld

H-field

E-field

The sketch of the elds for TM1 and TE1 modes are as shown above.
For the TM mode, Hz = 0, and Ez 6= 0, while for the TE mode, Ez = 0,
and Hz 6= 0. Tangential electric eld is zero on the plates while tangential
magnetic eld is not zero on the plates. The above is the instantaneous eld
plots. E  H is in the direction of propagation of the waves.

III. Phase and Group Velocities.

The phase velocity in the z^-direction of a wave in a waveguide is dened
to be
!
1
vp = ! = h
(33)
1 =

i
 f 2 21 
; m
2 2 p
z
2
!  ; b
 1 ; mc
f
which is always larger than the speed of light for f > fmc. The group velocity
is

; m
2i 12

;1 !2 b
d
d!
z
vg = d = d!
=
!
z
which is always less than the speed of light.
;

1;

 f 2  12
mc



TM2 and TE2 modes

=
z

TM1 and TE1 modes

2c

TM0 = TEM mode

1c

vg =
vp = / z

d
d z
z

0c

=C

(34)

i1

Since z = !c 1 ; !!mc 2 2 , a plot of ! versus z is as shown. When

z ! 0, the group velocity becomes zero while the phase velocity approaches
innity. When z ! 1, or ! ! 1, the group and phase velocities both
approach the velocity of light in free-space which is the TEM wave velocity.