E&M/Communications

Applications
Aly E Fathy

Outline

The microwave band

Non-communication applications
Communication Applications
Breakthroughs
Various Areas of Research at UT and other
Research Centers
Courses

Microwaves
Frequency

Wavelength

Long waves

30-300 kHz

10-1 km

Medium waves (MW)

300-3000 kHz

1000-100 m

Short waves (SW)

3-30 MHz

100-10 m

Very high frequency (VHF) waves

30-300 MHz

10-1 m

Microwaves

0.3-30 GHz*

100-1 cm

Millimeter waves

30-300 GHz

10-1 mm

Submillimeter waves

300-3000 GHz

1-0.1 mm

Infrared (including far-infrared)

300-416,000 GHz

* 1 GHz = 1 gigahertz = 10 Hertz or cycles per second,

+
1 m = 10-6 m.

104-0.72 m

Non-Communication Application

Industrial Microwave Furnace

Modular Unit
Waveguide

Inert Environment
Crucible
Insulation
Mold Core
Mold

Free Space Communication

Attenuation of the Atmosphere at Various

Wavelengths

60

40

20

Why Microwaves
Radio equipments are classified under VHF, UHF & Microwaves.
VHF and UHF radios used when few circuits are needed and
narrow bandwidth.
Earlier equipments were large in size and use Analog Technology.
Recently Digital Radio with better efficiency is being used.

A Century of Antennas-- from Hertz to Hand-Held

Very large array of 27 steerable parabolic dish

Antennas
25 meter diameter, operating at ~ cm wavelength
To listen to signals transmitted billions of year away
24 GPS Antennas, medium earth orbits-MEO
Operating at 20 cm wavelength
Uses helix antennas, at 20,000 km

Hand-held cell-phones
Operating at 30 cm wavelength

Microwave Use
Lower

bands are already occupied

Now we have better electronics, and modulation schemes

Advantages of Microwave Utilization:

Antennas are more directivebetter beam control.
Wider operating bandwidth.
Smaller size elements

Microwave Systems
Microwave communication is line of sight radio communication
For directive antennas, or broadcasting with omi-directional antennas
Radio Transmission: the speech signals are converted to EM
Power is transmitted in space towards destination
EM waves are intercepted by receiving antennas and signal
power is collected

Types of Antennas
Antennas used can be:
Omni-directional-in this case radio power is transmitted
Uniformly in all directions
Such type of antenna are preferred where uniform coverage
is desired such as in cellular systems.
Directional: in case of UHF communication.
Highly directional: in case of microwave communications,
microwave signals are transmitted in very narrow beam.
Normally 3 M Diameter Antenna at 2 GHz BW has half power
of about 3.4 degrees beam width.

Coverage

Applications:

Radio Communications

Radio Communication is in use since

early 30s.
First was used for broadcasting then
commercial communication.
Radio used for long distance
telephone service.
Many phone lines are connected to an
Exchange, and many exchanges to a
tower

Cellular Communication

For providing cellular communication a number of antennas at a

particular height are installed around a circular platform

DBS Antennas

DBS-History

Current Solutions for US DBS

Broadside Patch Array Antennas
Complete Mechanical Steering
High Fabrication Cost. >12inch

Phased Array Antennas ~6inch

COST
Proposed Solution
Reflector Antennas for
Stationary Reception

Complete Mechanical Steering with limited

range (due to beam tilt)
SIW, Low Fabrication Cost
Low Profile Reflector Antennas
Complete Mechanical Steering
Low Fabrication Cost. ~12 inch

Mobility

Research Progress
12*64 Elements Slotted SIW Full Array

12x16 Elements SIW Sub-Array

Directivity

13 x 48
Elements Full
Array
13x32 Elements SIW Array With
Folded Feed Network

13 x 6 elements Sub-Array

12 Elements Slotted SIW Array

Efficiency

13 Elements Slotted Waveguide

Antennas for Mobile Systems

Why Do we need Reconfigurable

Antennas?

Limited Space, and Volume

Trend to further miniaturization

Difficulty to attain Directivity
G=4A/2, G = -18.5 dB/cm2 @1 GHz

Very Compact

(you add 3dB when you double the Area)

(you add 6 dB when you double the Frequency)
Strong Antenna Interference due to Proximity
More Services means more antennas
Many are not used in same time.

Tiny

Multifunction
Does it all

Antenna Alternatives for Multi-Radio Application

Radio 1
Radio 2

Multiple
Radios

Ant. Gain

Broad Band Antenna

Radio 3
Frequency
Covers all bands of interest, Good for sim-ops

Radio n

Ant. Gain

Reconfigurable Antenna

Frequency
Very good noise immunity, high Flexibility
Requires switches, Poor for true sim-ops

Ant. Gain

Higher Noise , Non Uniformity in Ant. Gain

Multi-Band Antenna

Frequency

Covers few bands of interest, OOB noise supp.

Poor iso. between radios, stringent filter spec.

Mini-Nested Patches

Reconfigurable Multiband

2nd
Band
1st Band
802.11b/g/n

2nd Band
DCS/PCS/IMT2000

1st Band
GSM850/900

802.11a

Research Progress
42mm

11m
m

Switch
Locations

50cm coaxial
cable

RF blocking resistor

DC

MEMS

Reconfigurable Multi-band branched

Monopole Antenna

Switche
Feeds
s

Maze
Reconfigurable
Fractal Loop Antenna

mini-Maze
Reconfigurable Bent
Monopole Antenna
with MEMS switch

Reconfigurable Multi-band Twin PIFA

Antenna with PIN diode switch
90mm
10mm

p-i-n diodes
50cm coaxial cable

Ground

Power Amplifiers and Combiners

THz- BACKGROUND

The detection of concealed weapons and explosives

represents one of the most daunting problems facing
the military and civilian law enforcement personnel.

The exposure and identification of biological and chemical weapons is

also a major homeland security concern.

Terahertz (THz) imaging, by virtue of its ability to penetrate materials

and its short wavelength (leading to high resolution), and THz
spectroscopy, due to its capability to recognize unique signatures of
dangerous biological and chemical agents, provide the most promising
approach to address these problems.

Homeland Security Applications

Potential Security Applications

Detection of hidden weapons and explosives

Detecting non-metallic weapons

Postal screening of envelopes for bacteria

Chem/bio detection
Envelope

Postal screening

Explosives

Stand-off detection

Security screening wand

Terahertz Images Can Reveal Objects Concealed

Under Cloth, Paper, Tape, Even Behind Walls

Objects Concealed Under clothes

Knife Wrapped in Newspaper

See Through Prototype

System

Universal Automation Mechanism:

Developed in Matlab
Utilized29GPIB bus and parallel port protocol

Powerful Medical Imaging Capabilities of THz

Diseased
skin
Normal skin
White light image

Skin Cancer

THz image

Brain

Dental
THz device and probe (TeraView)

CONFORMAL ANTENNAS

Fast Computations, New Materials

New Exotic Materials have been recently

developed.
Stealth Technology and Many others
can benefit

E-Textiles

Courses Offered at UT
Fields

Antennas and Propagation

Microwave circuits

EMC

Electromagnetic Fields I

Electromagnetic Fields II

Phased Array Antennas I

Phased Array Antennas II

Wireless Communications

Holographic Antenna Features

True re-configurable aperture, NOT simple
switching.
The surface wave provides relatively low loss
RF distribution channels
Phased array performance without phased
array feed complexity or cost
Highly compact package

Conductive Fringe Pattern

Conductive Region (Yellow)

Non-Conductive Region (Blue)

Far-Field Pattern
Radar Scanned
Aim Point

Radar Azimuth (deg):

Radar Elevation (deg):

015
000

Description of Scenario:
Search Along Azimuth 0-30 Deg, 0 Deg Elevation
Array Turned Off - Non-Conducting Surface
Search Along Azimuth 30 Deg to 0 Deg, 5 Deg
Elevation
Place Target Into Track, Then Lose Track
Switch to Wide Beam to Re-Acquire Target
Continue Target Track

Mode: Search

Radar Azimuth (deg):

Radar Elevation (deg):

000
000

Mode: Search

Radar Azimuth (deg):

Radar Elevation (deg):

005
000

Mode: Search

Radar Azimuth (deg):

Radar Elevation (deg):

010
000

Mode: Search

Radar Azimuth (deg):

Radar Elevation (deg):

015
000

Mode: Search

Radar Azimuth (deg):

Radar Elevation (deg):

020
000

Mode: Search

Radar Azimuth (deg):

Radar Elevation (deg):

025
000

Mode: Search

Radar Azimuth (deg):

Radar Elevation (deg):

030
000

Mode: OFF

Radar Azimuth (deg):

Radar Elevation (deg):

000
000

Mode: OFF

Radar Azimuth (deg):

Radar Elevation (deg):

000
000

Mode: Search

Radar Azimuth (deg):

Radar Elevation (deg):

030
005

Mode: Search

Radar Azimuth (deg):

Radar Elevation (deg):

025
005

Mode: Search

Radar Azimuth (deg):

Radar Elevation (deg):

020
005

Mode: Search

Radar Azimuth (deg):

Radar Elevation (deg):

015
005

Mode: Search

Radar Azimuth (deg):

Radar Elevation (deg):

010
005

Mode: Track

Radar Azimuth (deg):

Radar Elevation (deg):

012
006

Mode: Track

Radar Azimuth (deg):

Radar Elevation (deg):

016
010

Mode: Track

Radar Azimuth (deg):

Radar Elevation (deg):

020
014

Mode: Re-Acquire

Radar Azimuth (deg):

Radar Elevation (deg):

020
014

Mode: Re-Acquire

Radar Azimuth (deg):

Radar Elevation (deg):

020
018

Mode: Re-Acquire

Radar Azimuth (deg):

Radar Elevation (deg):

016
018

Mode: Re-Acquire

Radar Azimuth (deg):

Radar Elevation (deg):

016
014

Mode: Track

Radar Azimuth (deg):

Radar Elevation (deg):

018
016

Mode: Track

Radar Azimuth (deg):

Radar Elevation (deg):

021
018

Mode: Track

Radar Azimuth (deg):

Radar Elevation (deg):

024
020