A Stepped Microstrip Circuit Attenuator Based on Wilkinson Power Divider for Sub-6G RF Testing

Power divider and attenuator as key electrical devices play an important role in radio frequency testing for measuring circuits or protecting instruments. However, most of the power dividers and attenuators currently used are discrete, and the combination of these devices will affect the test accuracy due to impedance mismatch. In this paper, we propose a new attenuator based on combined Wilkinson power divider structure, which can realize multidirection distribution of power and attenuation at different positions. The circuit structure is mainly composed of microstrip power divider and attenuation circuit network, with a working frequency from 700 MHz to 6 GHz, which can cover the 5th generation wireless systems sub-6G bands including n77, n78 and n79. Within the working bandwidth, the voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) of the input port is within 1.3, and the input power attenuation can be achieved at different levels, such as a value of 3 dB, 10 dB, 20 dB and up to 50 dB at the same time.