RF Glossary: S | Terms Starting with S

S-Parameters (Scattering Parameters) — A matrix description of a microwave network's behavior that relates incident and reflected waves at each port.

Saturation — The condition where increasing the input signal to an amplifier no longer produces a proportional increase in output power.

Selectivity — A receiver's ability to discriminate between the desired signal and unwanted signals at nearby frequencies.

Sensitivity — The minimum input signal level that a receiver can detect and process with acceptable signal-to-noise ratio.

Sidelobe — Secondary maxima in an antenna radiation pattern that are not part of the main beam, representing wasted energy and potential interference.

SiGe (Silicon Germanium) — A semiconductor material combining silicon and germanium, used in high-speed, low-noise RF integrated circuits.

Skin Depth — The depth at which the current density in a conductor falls to 1/e of its surface value, decreasing with frequency.

Smith Chart — A graphical tool for visualizing complex impedance and solving transmission line and matching network problems.

SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) — The ratio of desired signal power to noise power, expressed in dB. Higher SNR indicates cleaner signal reception.

Spurious (Spurs) — Unwanted signals generated by nonlinear processes in oscillators, mixers, and amplifiers that appear at frequencies other than the desired output.

Stripline — A planar transmission line consisting of a conductor strip between two parallel ground planes separated by dielectric material.

SWR (Standing Wave Ratio) — See VSWR. The ratio of maximum to minimum field amplitude in a standing wave on a transmission line.

Synthesizer — A signal source that generates precise frequencies by phase-locking a voltage-controlled oscillator to a stable reference.

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