Microwave Oven : History & Working Principle

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1. How a Microwave Oven Works?
By: Emmy Mak

2. What are Microwaves?
•Microwaves are a form of electromagnetic energy, like light
waves or radio waves
•Microwaves are used extensively in communications
–such as to relay long-distance telephone signals, television programs and
computer information across the earth or to a satellite in space.
•Good for transmitting information because it can penetrate
haze, light rain and snow, clouds, and smoke.
•Also used in radars and in detecting speeding cars.
•Microwave has become most familiar as the energy source
for cooking food.

3. Electromagnetic Spectrum
•Electromagnetic radiation
exists in a range of
frequencies called the
electromagnetic
spectrum.
•Each frequency has a
specific wavelength and
as the frequency
decreases, the actual
length of the wave gets
longer.
Radiation Type Frequency Range (Hz)Wavelength Range
Gamma rays above 3 x 10
19
< 10
-12
m
X-rays 3 x 10
17
-3 x 10
19
1 nm -1 pm
Ultraviolet Radiation7.5 x 10
14
-3 x 10
17
400 nm -1 nm
Visible Spectrum 3.8 x 10
14
-7.5 x 10
14
750 nm -380 nm
Infrared Radiation 10
11
-3.8 x 10
14
25 um -2.5 um
Microwaves 10
8
-10
12
1 mm -25 um
Radio waves 10
4
-10
8
>1 mm
Table 1:Frequency and Wavelength Range of Each Radiation
Type in the Electromagnetic Spectrum.

4. History
•Invented accidentally by Dr. Percy LeBaron Spencer
•While testing a magnetron during work, he discovered
the candy bar in his pocket melted
•Experimented with other food products (popcorn and
eggs), and realized microwaves can cook foods quickly
•At 1947, 1
st
commercial microwave oven produced
(called Radarange)
–Mostly used by restaurants, railroad cars, ocean
liners and military
•Improvement and refinements made ~ by
1967, 1
st
domestic microwave oven produced

5. How the Oven Works
•Electricity from the wall outlet travels through the power
cord and enters the microwave oven through a series of
fuse and safety protection circuits
•These circuits include various fuses and thermal
protectors that are designed to deactivate the oven in the
event of an electrical short or if an overheating condition
occurs
•When the oven door is closed, an electrical path is also
established through a series of safety interlock switches

6. •Sensing that all systems are set to go, the signal activates triac, producing a
voltage path to the high-voltage transformer.
•The high-voltage transformer along with a special diode and capacitor
arrangement increases the typical household voltage from ~115 volts to ~3000
volts

7. •The magnetron converts the high voltage in to the microwave frequency for
cooking
•The microwave energy is transmitted into a waveguide
•The waveguide feeds the energy to the stirrer blade and into the cooking area
•When the door is opened, or the timer reaches zero, the microwave energy
stops.

8. How Foods Get Cooked
•The microwaves that penetrate the food have an electric field
that oscillates 2.45 billion times a second, a frequency that is
well absorbed by polar liquid molecules such as water, sugars,
fats and other food molecules.
•Water interacts with the microwave:
–flipping its orientation back and forth very rapidly
–bumping into one another and producing heat, cooking the food.
•Glass, paper, ceramic, or plastic containers are used in
microwave cooking because the microwaves pass through them
•Metal reflects microwaves
–Unsafe to have metal pans/aluminum foil in oven, may damage oven

9. Health Hazards
•It is known that microwave radiation can heat body tissue the
same way it heats food.
•Exposure to high levels of microwavescan cause a painful
burn
–Ex. the lens of the eye ~ exposure to high levels of microwaves can
cause cataracts.
•Microwave oven used low level of microwaves, within the
region of non-ionizing radiation
•Still uncertain in the effects of humans from long term
exposure to low level of microwaves
–Still experimenting
•Best to stay a way (an arm’s length) in reducing exposure to
microwaves