AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The module aims to provide skills on guiding structures, components and distributed-element circuits operating at radio and microwave frequencies. These topics are proposed starting from the theoretical bases and analyzing practical case studies in the field of electronic engineering.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

This course aims at providing the basic competences about distributed-element circuits operating at radio and microwave frequencies.

TEACHING METHODS

Lectures and laboratory experiences.

Students with valid certifications for Specific Learning Disorders (SLDs), disabilities or other educational needs are invited to contact the teacher and the School's contact person for disability at the beginning of teaching to agree on possible teaching arrangements that, while respecting the teaching objectives, take into account individual learning patterns. Contacts of the School's disability contact person can be found at the following link Comitato di Ateneo per l’inclusione delle studentesse e degli studenti con disabilità o con DSA | UniGe | Università di Genova" (https://unige.it/en/commissioni/comitatoperlinclusionedeglistudenticondisabilita)

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Introduction and course organization

Guided electromagnetic waves

Maxwell’s equations for cylindrical structures.

Field behavior in the axial direction and in the transverse plane.

Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions.

Classification of modes and their computation.

Effects of losses: perturbation method, conductor losses, dielectric losses.

Wave properties: phase velocity and wavelength, group velocity, cutoff phenomena.

Guiding systems

Parallel plate waveguide, rectangular and circular waveguide, coaxial line.

Planar transmission lines: strip and microstrip lines, coplanar waveguide, slot line, substrate integrated waveguide.

Theory of distributed-elements circuits

Modes as transmission lines: general form of telegrapher’s equations

Field representation in guiding systems and power transfer.

Transmission lines and distributed-elements circuits.

Passive components in radio-frequency and microwave circuits

General description of components, their representations and scattering parameters.

One-port components: loads, short and open circuits.

Two-port components: discontinuities and junctions, transitions and adapters, attenuators, phase shifters, isolators, etc.

Three-port components: T junctions, power dividers, circulators.

Four-port components: directional couplers, hybrid junctions.

Microwave resonators: quality factor and resonant cavities.

Laboratory experiences

• Field computation and visualization with MATLAB.
• Rectangular waveguides and their classification.
• Measurements with slotted lines and waveguides.
• Simulation of radio-frequency/microwave components.
• Experimental characterization of radio-frequency/microwave devices.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lecture notes and slides of laboratory sessions.

Basic textbooks:

R. E. Collin, Foundations for Microwave Engineering, New York: IEEE Press/John Wiley & Sons, 2001.

D. M. Pozar, Microwave Engineering. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2011

R. Sorrentino, G. Bianchi, Microwave and RF Engineering. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2010.

Textbooks on advanced topics:

R. Garg, I. Bahl, and M. Bozzi, Microstrip lines and slotlines, 3rd edition. Norwood, MA: Artech House, 2013.

G. Pelosi, R. Coccioli, and S. Selleri, Quick finite elements for electromagnetic waves, 2nd edition. Norwood, MA: Artech House, 2009.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

According to the academic calendar. https://corsi.unige.it/en/corsi/11780/studenti-orario

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

At least three questions are asked during the oral exam: the first one is chosen by the student, the second is about theory, the last one is more practical (an exercise, typically).

Students with valid certifications for Specific Learning Disorders (SLDs), disabilities, or other educational needs are invited to contact the teacher and the DITEN contact person for disability to agree on the possible  use  of  specific  modalities  and  supports  that  will  be  determined  on  a  case-by-case  basis, according to the University regulation for the inclusion and right to study of students with disabilities or specific learning disorders.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

After this course, students should demonstrate to know the fundamentals of distributed-element circuits operating at radio and microwave frequencies, as well as the operating principles of standard guiding systems and basic passive radio-frequency/microwave components. The knowledge of these topics is assessed during the oral exam, when the student is asked to discuss them in detail.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Ask the professor for other information not included in this description of the teaching unit.