Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 March 2009
Two geometrically derived stability parameters, µ′ (or µ) and ν′(or ν), are used to analyze the stability of a two-port network. The magnitudes of both µ′ (or µ) and ν′ (or ν) parameters determine geometrical relations between the stability circle and the unit Smith chart in the ΓS (or ΓL) plane. |µ′| (or |µ|) is defined as the minimum distance from the stability circle to the origin of the unit Smith chart in the ΓS (or ΓL) plane, while |ν′|(or |ν|) is defined as the maximum distance. Moreover, the signs of ν′ (or ν) and µ′ (or µ) parameters determine which region of the stability circle is stable (inside or outside) and whether the stable region includes the origin of the Smith chart, respectively. There are totally 12 situations between the stability circle and the unit Smith chart in the ΓS (or ΓL) plane by using µ′ (or µ) and ν′ (or ν) parameters. This paper classifies 12 situations in the ΓS plane and also presents the corresponding practical two-port networks.