ECE 486
Microwave Engineering I: Passive Circuit Design
Required course: No
Course Level
Units
Instructor(s)
Prerequisite(s)
Course Texts
MICROWAVE ENGINEERING, 4th edition: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uaz/detail.action?docID=2064708
Schedule
Course Description
Specific Course Information:
2021-2022 Catalog Data: Review of transmission line theory; microstrip lines and planar circuits; RF/microwave network analysis; scattering parameters; impedance transformer design; filter design; hybrids and resonators; RF/microwave amplifier design; RF transceiver design; RF/microwave integrated circuits.
Learning Outcomes
Specific Goals for the Course:
Outcomes of Instruction: By the end of this course the student will be able to:
- Identify the wave equation and basic plane wave solutions; TEM, TEM, and TM waves; the parallel plate waveguide and its associated electromagnetic fields and current. distributions; the rectangular waveguide, explain its operation and list the electromagnetic field distributions of its dominant modes.
- Calculate the attenuation in a parallel waveguide and a rectangular waveguide.
- Identify the coaxial line, explain its operation and list the electromagnetic field distributions of its dominant modes. Find the attenuation and characteristic impedance of a coaxial line.
- Identify the stripline or the microstrip, explain its operation and list the electromagnetic field distribution of its dominant modes. Interpret the effective dielectric constant of a microstrip line. Apply the effective dielectric constant, attenuation and impedance formulas for a microstrip line design.
- Identify the different wave velocities and explain the dispersion effect.
- Describe the lumped element circuit model for a transmission line.
- Describe the different transmission line parameters and Identify the Telegrapher equations.
- Calculate the current and voltage distribution of a terminated lossless transmission line line.
- Calculate the input impedance, reflection coefficient and standing-wave ratio of a terminated lossless transmission line.
- Explain how the Smith Chart works.
- Design single stub matching networks and double stub matching networks.
- Calculate the input impedance, reflection coefficient, voltages, current and delivered power in a transmission line with generator and/or load mismatches.
- Distinguish between the different types of impedance in transmission lines.
- Formulate the impedance and/or admittance matrix of an arbitrary microwave network.
- Describe the properties of a lossless and/or reciprocal microwave network.
- Describe the scattering matrix. Apply the scattering matrix to characterize various passive microwave circuits. Distinguish between regular and generalized scattering matrix.
- Explain how the s-parameters of a 2-port microwave network can be measured.
- Identify the transmission matrix and apply it to characterize various microwave circuits.
- Apply the appropriate relationships to transform from one type of matrix to another.
- Design lumped element matching networks; quarter-wave transformers and their operation and theory of small reflections.
- Apply the theory of small reflections to design.
- List the basic properties of dividers and couplers; Design a Wilkinson power divider and list its properties, a quadrature hybrid and list its properties, coupled-line couplers and describe their operation.
- Describe the basic operation of a vector network analyzer and the insertion loss method technique for designing filters; Identify the different filter transformations and Design a low-pass filter using stubs, a stepped impedance low-pass filter, band-pass filter.
- Identify potential limitations in the circuit fabrication process.
- Perform microwave measurements for the passive circuit of the design project.
- Propose solutions to meet specific design goals if those were not achieved at first design iteration.
Course Topics
Brief list of topics to be covered:
Review of Maxwell's equations, boundary conditions; Wave equation and solutions, energy & power; Plane Wave Reflections from Interface; TEM, TE and TM waves, Parallel plate waveguide; Rectangular waveguide; Microstrip line, wave velocities and dispersion; Coaxial line, coax connections and stripline; Transmission line parameters, Telegrapher’s Equations, Equivalent Ckt. Models, Terminated Transmission Lines; The Smith Chart 1- single stub matching and single stub, double; Stub tuners; Impedance and equiv. Voltages & currents, Z&Y matrices; Scattering Matrices and transmission matrix; Lumped element matching, quarter-wave transformer; Theory of small reflections, multi-section transformers; Filter design by insertion loss method; Filter Transformation; Filter implementation- stepped impedance LPF; Microwave Layout/Ckt. Fab/Safety/ 2 port measurements; Coupled Line/Coupled Resonator Filters; Basic Properties of dividers and couplers; Wilkinson power divider; Quadrature hybrid, coupled line couplers.
Relationship to Student Outcomes
ECE 486 contributes directly to the following specific electrical and computer engineering student outcomes of the ECE department:
1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.