Parasitic Elements

Parasitic elements are unintended, often small, components or pathways within electronic devices that can affect performance. In RF and microwave circuits, these unintended inductances, capacitances, or resistances arise from physical structures or layouts, causing signal distortion, loss, or unwanted feedback. Although they are not intentionally designed, their effects can be significant at high frequencies, impacting circuit stability and efficiency. Engineers carefully consider and manage parasitic elements during design to ensure circuits operate as intended, especially in sensitive applications like communication systems.