MICROWAVE ENGINEERING

Knowledge and understanding: Understanding and ability to use various tools for the analysis, design and experimental characterization of waveguides, antennas and microwave devices.

Applying knowledge and understanding: Ability to analyze microwave components and circuits making connection between different problems.

Making judgments: Deductive skills and critical reasoning. Ability to identify and compare the most appropriate methods for studying real problems.

Communication skills: Ability to expose both orally and through written reports with appropriate language and methodological rigor.

Learning skills: Ability to study new problems in a self-direct and autonomous way.

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

If the teaching is given in mixed or remote mode, some variations may be introduced in compliance with the program and the purposes stated in the syllabus.

Required prerequisites: Basic knowledge of electromagnetic fields theory with particular reference to propagation, guided propagation, transmission lines and antennas.

Lessons attendance: Not mandatory for frontal lessons. Not mandatory, but recommended, for laboratory.

Complements of propagation and transmission media: (3 CFU – 21 h)

Guided propagation: rectangular and circular metallic waveguides. Losses in waveguides. Resonant cavities. Microstrip line. Dielectric slab waveguide. Optical fibers.

Anisotropic media: (2 CFU – 14 h)

Reciprocal media. Magnetized plasma. Propagation in magnetized plasma*. Faraday rotation.

Microwave antennas: (2 CFU – 14 h)

Equivalent sources. Aperture antennas: horn antennas, paraboloidal reflectors, slot antennas. Microstrip antennas*. Uda-Yagi antenna.

Topics lectures in collaboration with companies, universities and research canters (1 CFU – 7 h):

Laser sources. Periodic structures,photonic crystals and metasurfaces*. Antennas and MIMO systems for 5G*.

Laboratory (1 CFU – 25 h):

Microwave circuits. Impedance matrix Z and scattering matrix S. Vector Network Analyzer (VNA). 1-port and 2-port calibration. 1-port, 2-port, 3-port and 4-port microwave devices. Experimental characterisation of microwave components and circuits and/or design of components and microwaves antennas with electromagnetic CAD*. Antenna Test Range: measurements and/or techniques for gain and radiation pattern measurement in an anechoic chamber*.

DEGREE THESIS: The topics marked with an asterisk (*) may be the subject of further study in the context of the degree thesis.

Textbook Information

[1] R. Sorrentino e G. Bianchi, "Microwave and RF Engineering", John Wiley & Sons 2010

[2] R. E. Collin, "Foundations for Microwave Engineering" (IEEE Press)

[3] C. G. Someda, "Electromagnetic Waves", CRC Press.

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

[5] F. T. Ulaby, U. Ravaioli "Fundamentals of Applied Electromagnetics" (7th Edition), Pearson Education