App Note 001   VSWR and its Effects on Power Amplifiers

VSWR – Voltage Standing Wave Ratio is a result that happens from having an impedance mismatch between a source (an amplifier) and a load (test application). This mismatch can influence the performance of the source. VSWR is not a hard concept to grasp, but its effects on the instrumentation can be more difficult to realize. For this article, we will focus on RF/Microwave high power amplifiers and how they react to this common physical problem. Amplifiers sometimes need to institute protections to safeguard itself from being damaged. First, let’s understand VSWR.