OSCILLATOR AS A REFLECTION AMPLIFIER: AN INTUITIVE APPROACH TO OSCILLATOR DESIGN.

There are many ways to view an oscillator, ranging from positive feedback to negative resistance, and each will yield an oscillating circuit if applied correctly. The 'negative resistance' approach is commonly used for microwave oscillator design, and a number of papers present the approach. This circuit concept tends to express the circuit elements in terms of S-parameters and not as resistances and reactances. This article presents the reflection amplifier approach, which yields repeatable results and gives good insight into the circuit functions by providing a way to model and measure a circuit's potential as an oscillator and predict its performance.