3D Electromagnetics and Wireless Systems Lab

3D Electromagnetics and Wireless Systems Lab

The focus of the research that is conducted in the 3D Electromagnetics and Wireless Systems Laboratory is the theoretical development, design, simulation, and fabrication of advanced devices to enable next-generation wireless and mobile communication and radar systems. Application areas include cell phones, microwave metamaterials, acoustic metamaterials, invisibility cloaks, miniature and broadband antennas, and other devices exhibiting exotic behavior, such as negative permittivity, negative permeability, negative capacitance, negative inductance, and negative or zero refractive index. Fabrication and test capabilities include 3D printing, PCB milling, and antenna pattern and GHz S-parameter characterization.

Current Activities/Description

  • Simulation, fabrication, and testing of electromagnetic devices (antennas, metamaterials, etc.)
  • Broadband impedance matching of electrically-small antennas
  • Negative dielectric and negative permeability materials, and associated negative capacitors, negative inductors, and magnetic conductors
  • Embedded system-on-chip Xilinx/Zynq signal prototyping for digital non-Foseter circuits
  • Development, simulation, and characterization of RF power amplifiers
  • Development, simulation, and characterization of digital and analog non-Foster circuits, such as negative capacitors, and negative inductors

Current Projects

  • NSF: SpecEES: Intelligent Energy Efficient Spectrum Access for Wireless IoT (600k)
  • NSF CfM: Development of artificial dielectric layers for near-field antenna loading and beamsteering applications (45k)
  • Development and testing of digitally-tuned non-Foster electrically-small antennas for mobile devices
  • Development of planar antennas utilizing artificial magnetic conductors to achieve gain enhancement
  • Development of wireless power transfer to electrically small devices for biomedical and other applications
  • Design, simulation, prototyping, and development of digital non-Foster circuits, such as digital negative capacitors
  • Theory of gravitational-wave antennas

Past Projects

  • NSF: Advanced Wideband Microwave Metamaterials (300k)
  • Wireless power transfer to implantable biomedical devices
  • Metamaterial loading of electrically-small patch antennas to enable beam steering to horizon
  • Development and implementation of non-Foster circuits to enable wideband metamaterial performance.
  • Phased array antenna with analog non-Foster loading

Primary faculty: Kathryn Smith and Thomas Weldon

Collaborators: Jeremy Holleman, Linda Xie and Tao Han

Location: EPIC 2364