MICROWAVE ENGINEERING

Being able to analyze components and microwave circuits by means of the formalism of transmission lines and scattering matrices. Acquisition of tools for the analysis, design and experimental characterization of guiding structures, antennas and microwave devices.

The course includes lectures, experimental laboratory experiences and exercises aimed at deepening the contents of the lessons.

Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of the electromagnetic fields theory with particular reference to free-space propagation, guided propagation and electromagnetic radiation.

Course attending frequency
Not mandatory for frontal lessons. Not mandatory, but recommended, for laboratory experiences.

Final Test
Oral examination and practical test in laboratory

Complements og guided propagation

Electromagnetic potentials, TE, TM, TEM modes. Circular waveguide. Losses in waveguides. Resonant cavities. Microstrip line. Dielectric slab guide. Optical fibers.

Passive microwave components and circuits

Microwave circuits. Reciprocal media. Z matrix, S matrix, connection between matrix Z and S. Lossless networks. Displacement of the reference planes. Flow charts and reduction rules. Calibration with reduction rules and multiple reflections.

1-port junctions: matched load and sliding short circuit.

2-port junctions: waveguide attenuators and phase shifter, calibrated circular waveguide phase shifters.

3-port junctions: general properties, circulator, T and Y junctions, lossy power dividers.

4-port junctions: general properties, directional coupler.

Anisotropic and non-reciprocal media

Constitutive relationship of a magnetized plasma, propagation of plane waves in a magnetized plasma*. Faraday rotation. Magnetized ferrite, waveguide insulator with magnetized ferrite.

Antennas and Arrays

Equivalent sources. Microstrip antenna. Aperture antennas: field radiated from apertures, field radiated from rectangular waveguide, directivity. Sectoral horn and horn antenna. Antenna arrays*, directivity and beamwidth for broad-side and end-fire arrays.

Topics: applications of Microwave Engineering

Radar and radar cross section. Bioelectromagnetic interactions*, radioprotection principles and legislative reference framework. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). Laser and electromagnetic bandgap structures* (photonic crystals). Scattering equations, electromagnetic inverse scattering problems*, microwave diagnostics and tomography*. Ground Penetrating Radar*.

Laboratory

Vector Network Analyzer (VNA). 1-port calibration (SOL) and 2-port calibration (SOLT and TRL). Smith Chart. Tho hole directional coupler. Moreno coupler. T Magic. Measurement of scattering parameters for microwave devices. Numerical design of patch antennas with electromagnetic CAD. Antenna Test Range: measurement of antennas' gain and radiation pattern.

MASTER DEGREE THESIS: The topics marked with an asterisk (*) can be matter of thesis' work.

[1] Franceschetti, Campi Elettromagnetici (Bollati Boringhieri, II ed.)

[2] Bianchi e Sorrentino, Microwave and RF Engineering (Wiley)

[3] Collin, Foundations for Microwave Engineering (IEEE Press)

[4] Orfanidis, Electromagnetic Waves and Antennas (http://www.ece.rutgers.edu/~orfanidi/ewa/)

[5] Conciauro, Appunti delle lezioni di Complementi di Campi E.M. (http://microwave.unipv.it/pages/complementi_di_campi/guide_dielettriche.pdf)

[6] Collin, Antennas and Radiowave Propagation (Mc Graw Hill)

[7] Pozar, Microwave Engineering (Wiley)

[8] Conciauro, Introduzione alle onde elettromagnetiche (Mc Graw Hill)

[A] Ulaby and Ravaioli, Fundamentals of Applied Electromagnetics (Pearson Education, 7th Ed.)

[B] §§ 6.1-6.3 in Slaney and Kak, TOMOGRAPHIC IMAGING WITH DIFFRACTING SOURCES, in H. Ammari, An Introduction to Mathematics of Emerging Biomedical Imaging (Springer)

[C] § 2 in PROTEZIONE DAI CAMPI ELETTROMAGNETICI NON IONIZZANTI (3a Ed.) IFAC-CNR (http://www.ifac.cnr.it/pcemni/libro1/)

[D] §§ 4.1-4.2.4 in A. Webb, INTRODUCTION TO BIOMEDICAL IMAGING (John Wiley and Sons Ltd)

[E] § 1 (main contents) in A. E. Siegman, LASERS (University Science Books)