41480 - Microwave Technique L-A

Learning outcomes

The aim of the course is to introduce to the principal design problems related to microwave and RF circuits such as coupplers,  filters and resonator in printed technology

Course contents

High frequency components issues: from lumped- element components to distributed element components: dimensions comparable with wavelenght. The principal technologies to realize distributed-element circuits.Materials to be used related to operating frequencies. Guided-wave circuits and printed circuits.The design variables. MIC and MMIC.

RF resonators

The energy-based resonance condition.

• The Q-factor.
• Design of lumped-element series and parallel resonators, and their use as simple models for RF resonators design.
• Microstrip resonators. computation of the infinite number of resonance frequencies. The excitation problem
• Cavity resonators. Analytical computation of the resonance frequencies and of the related Q-factors.
• Dielectric resonators.semi-analytical models for the computation of the resonance frequency..

Filters.

Filter design badsed on S-parameters. The diesign of  Butterworth e Chebichev filters. Use of pre-compiled tables to dimension filter componenrts. Frequency transformations for the design of low-pass, high-pass and band-pass filters. The design of  distributed-element filters and periodic structures. Microstrip filters and the design of  impedance inverters.

Directional coupplers:

• The concept of ideal couppler.
• Network functions of interest for directional coupplers: couppling, isolation and return loss. 
• Even and odd-network based design of couppler.
• Stripline-based and microstripline-baìsed directional couppler.

Readings/Bibliography

Collin.: Foundation for microwave engineering, Mc. Graw Ill 2002

Teaching methods

The lectures are aided by slides, that are available for students. Many exercises are given to demonstrate the design methodology.

Assessment methods

Oral discussion aimed at extablishing the student's understaanding of the analysis and design techniques of passive RF components. Solution of simple examples of application..

Office hours

See the website of Alessandra Costanzo