RF power dividers and RF power combiners are circuits that accept input signals and deliver multiple outputs that are equal in phase and amplitude. There are two basic product categories: passive and active. Passive products produce an output signal with a power level that is smaller than the input signal’s power signal. Active products produce an output signal with a higher power level than the input signal power level. Other types of RF power dividers and RF power combiners are also available.
There are three main types of RF power dividers and RF power combiners: 0º, 90 º hybrid, and 180 º hybrid. Zero-degree RF dividers split an input signal into two or more output signals that are theoretically equal in both amplitude and phase. Zero-degree RF combiners join multiple input signals to provide one output. When selecting 0 º dividers, power divider division is an important specification to consider. This parameter is the number of outputs of the device, or the number of ways the input signal is divided at the output. Choices include 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 16, 32, 48, and 64-way devices.
