Microwave Design Research Articles

Enhanced microwave absorption properties of Ti3AlC2 particles modified by a facile preoxidation strategy

MAX phases are considered to be promising microwave absorbing materials in fifth-generation (5G) communications, but their high electrical conductivity causes impedance mismatching, weakening their ability to absorb microwaves. Here, we present a universal preoxidation strategy to improve the impedance matching and the microwave absorption performance of a Ti3AlC2 MAX phase absorbing material. The microwave absorption properties of Ti3AlC2 particles were enhanced after preoxidation at temperatures of 500-700 °C for only 30 min in air, as compared with unoxidized Ti3AlC2 particles. More interestingly, the 600 °C-preoxidized Ti3AlC2 material reached a minimum reflection loss (RLmin) value of -50.56 dB at 8.87 GHz, superior to -12.36 dB at 12.82 GHz for the original Ti3AlC2 material. The preoxidized Ti3AlC2 particles were covered by a thin oxidation layer comprising both amorphous TiO2 (a-TiO2) and rutile TiO2 (R-TiO2). The oxidation layer endows the preoxidized Ti3AlC2 particles with good impedance matching, and a large number of nano-interfaces of a-TiO2/R-TiO2 and micro-interfaces of a-TiO2/Ti3AlC2 also contribute to the dielectric loss mechanism, thus improving its microwave absorption ability. This work provides a practical strategy for the fundamental study and the optimal design of MAX microwave absorbing materials.

Design and tuning of S-band traveling wave accelerating structures for Hefei Advanced Light Facility.

The Hefei Advanced Light Facility (HALF) injector comprises 40 S-band 3-m traveling wave accelerating structures, capable of delivering electrons with a full energy of 2.2 GeV into the storage ring. To mitigate emittance degradation caused by field asymmetry in the coupler cavity, the coupler design incorporates a racetrack and a short-circuit waveguide. This paper introduces the microwave design and provides the parameters of the HALF accelerating structure. Two design methods for couplers were compared, and the effectiveness of using the undercoupling (for which the coupling coefficient β calculated by Kyhl's method is less than 1) to match the output coupler was experimentally demonstrated. The nodal-shift method and bead-pull method were used to test and tune the structures of different output coupler designs during the cold test, demonstrating the tuning results under actual conditions. Experiments were conducted under different load conditions to calculate the local reflection coefficient of the output coupler. The results show that both the accelerating structure design and the tuning results meet the HALF requirements.

Fast machine-learning-enabled size reduction of microwave components using response features

Achieving compact size has emerged as a key consideration in modern microwave design. While structural miniaturization can be accomplished through judicious circuit architecture selection, precise parameter tuning is equally vital to minimize physical dimensions while meeting stringent performance requirements for electrical characteristics. Due to the intricate nature of compact structures, global optimization is recommended, yet hindered by the excessive expenses associated with system evaluation, typically conducted through electromagnetic (EM) simulation. This challenge is further compounded by the fact that size reduction is a constrained problem entailing expensive constraints. This paper introduces an innovative method for cost-effective explicit miniaturization of microwave components on a global scale. Our approach leverages response feature technology, formulating the optimization problem based on a set of characteristic points derived from EM-analyzed responses, combined with an implicit constraint handling approach. Both elements facilitate handling size reduction by transforming it into an unconstrained problem and regularizing the objective function. The core search engine employs a machine-learning framework with kriging-based surrogates refined using the predicted improvement in the objective function as the infill criterion. Our algorithm is demonstrated using two miniaturized couplers and is shown superior over several benchmark routines, encompassing both conventional (gradient-based) and population-based procedures, alongside a machine learning technique. The primary strengths of the proposed framework lie in its reliability, computational efficiency (with a typical optimization cost ranging from 100 to 150 EM circuit analyses), and straightforward setup.

Fast inverse design of microwave and infrared Bi-stealth metamaterials based on equivalent circuit model

This work proposed a fast inverse design method for microwave and infrared (IR) bi-stealth metamaterials based on the equivalent circuit model (ECM). Using this method, we designed a microwave and IR bi-stealth metamaterial by deploying a multilayered structure of the indium tin oxide (ITO) film based metasurface. First, the IR emissivity of the ITO film was calculated in the framework of the ECM. Then, an ITO metasurface was proposed to implement low IR emission and high microwave transmission simultaneously. Based on the ECM of the square patch, the ECM of the whole metamaterial was established at the microwave band. An inverse design program was built by incorporating the ECM with genetic algorithm (GA). Structure parameters of the metamaterial were optimized by GA to achieve the broadest microwave stealth bandwidth for the given thickness. Finally, the sample of the optimized bi-stealth metamaterial was prepared and tested. The calculated, simulated, and measured results are in good agreement, showing that such a metamaterial has an IR emissivity of 0.18 in the band from 3 to 14 μm and an efficient microwave stealth band from 4.8 to 17 GHz with a thickness of 4.9 mm. The proposed method will benefit the design and application of microwave and IR bi-stealth metamaterials.

DESIGN AND SIMULATION OF S-BAND MICROWAVE AMPLIFIER FOR SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM

This paper presents a novel design of S-band monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) amplifiers based on GaAs MESFET HFET-1102 transistors used in radiofrequency (RF) and microwave communications systems. Based on the Chebyshev gain response, an analytical method is used to design a two-stage lumped microwave amplifier. The matching networks constituted by lumped elements are transformed into T inductive networks, and the resulting amplifier is optimized using RF simulator software. In the following step, the lumped optimized amplifier is transformed into a distributed amplifier and implemented on Rogers TMM3 substrate largely used in microwave circuits. The final MMIC amplifier is stable in the frequency band (2-4 GHz), and excellent performances are obtained in terms of very high gain, reaching a peak of 35 dB, low input (S11) and output reflection (S22) coefficients, and very good output/input isolation (S12). For its RF characteristics, the proposed MMIC amplifier presented in this work is very suitable for space telecommunications in low earth orbit (LEO) satellites onboard receivers.

Using the dispersion model of a chiral metamaterial to calculate the characteristics of homogeneous and heterogeneous reflective and waveguide structures

Currently, metamaterials are actively used in the creation of microwave and optic devices for various purposes. This is due to their non-traditional properties, compared to dielectric, conductive and other materials. One type of metamaterial is chiral media, which contain conductive microelements of mirror asymmetric shape. Such metamaterials have dispersion and, as a consequence, it is necessary to take it into account when developing various microwave structures. The work demonstrates taking into account the dispersion of the dielectric constant and the chirality parameter for calculating waveguide and reflecting structures with homogeneous and inhomogeneous chiral layers. The work carried out an electrodynamic analysis of the reflective properties of an inhomogeneous chiral layer and a rectangular waveguide, with a homogeneous layer of chiral metamaterial located in the transverse plane. The work has developed a method for calculating the reflection and transmission coefficients of an optical wave from the inhomogeneous chiral structure under consideration, which is based on the use of the differential sweep method. When constructing a mathematical model, we took into account the cross-polarization of the optical wave field, which consists in the appearance of orthogonal components during the interaction of the field with a chiral metamaterial. The solution to the problem was reduced to a matrix differential equation for the unknown reflection coefficients of the main and cross-polarized components of the optical field. The work examined chiral metamaterials with linear and parabolic inhomogeneity profiles. The results of the work can be applied in the design of new microwave and optics devices with layers of metamaterial, which can expand their functionality.

Frequency Shift in Microwave Circuits Manufactured with Circuit Board Plotters: Case Study of a Parallel Coupled Lines Filter

Board milling is one of the most widespread methods for manufacturing printed circuit boards from low frequencies to the microwave and millimeter wave range. In this contribution, the detrimental effect of defects typical of printed circuit board plotters has been investigated. In detail, a systematic frequency shift in the circuit performance has been observed both in terms of S21 and S11 parameters. The performance degradation has been analyzed and attributed to the inaccurate milling depth, which is typical of many plotters, particularly for less recent models. After the conductor removal step, the unwanted milling of dielectric material changes the electrical properties of the microstrip structure, in turn affecting the circuit performance. This circumstance has been investigated by means of electromagnetic simulations performed on the real case study of a parallel coupled lines filter. Therefore, a filter prototype has been realized and measured to confirm the simulated results. This study can be beneficial to those professionals involved in the design and realization of microwave and millimeter waves circuits with board milling machines.

Manipulating the nonreciprocal microwave transmission by using a pump-induced magnon mode

We realize the electromagnetic regulation of nonreciprocal microwave transmission by introducing a pump-induced magnon mode (PIM) into a cavity magnonic device with dissipative photon–magnon coupling. As a peculiar spin wave, the PIM's dynamic properties, including its spin number and resonant frequency, can be easily tuned by the microwave pump. Hence, it facilitates the precise control of the coupling process between the PIM and the cavity magnonic device by regulating the pump signal. Along with these manipulations, the nonreciprocal microwave transmission produced by the dissipative photon–magnon coupling is regulated without reconfiguring the system. In the experiment, we achieve a pump-controlled nonreciprocal bandwidth of 16 MHz and a pump-tunable isolation range of up to 40 dB. Our work demonstrates the control of a microwave with another microwave. It has a great potential in the design of fast microwave switches and programmable isolators for information processing.

Design of high gain MMIC amplifier for LEO satellite communication systems

In this paper, we present a novel design of S-band monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) amplifier based on GaAs Mesfet HFET-1102 transistor used in radiofrequency (RF) and microwave communications system. Basing on Chebyshev gain response an analytical method is used to design two stages lumped microwave amplifier. The matching networks constituted by lumped elements are transformed to T inductive networks and the resulting amplifier is optimized using RF simulator software. Thelumped optimized amplifier is then transformed to distributed amplifier and implemented on Rogers TMM3 substrate, largely used in microwave circuits. The proposed MMIC distributed amplifier is stable in the frequency band (2–4 GHz) and excellent performances are obtained in terms of very high gain reaching a peak of 34.23 dB, minimum input return loss (S11) of −8.85 dB at f=2.62 GHz, minimum output return loss (S22) of −12.21 dB at f=2.05 GHz and very good output/input isolation (S12) lower than −51.99 dB. For its excellent performances, the proposed MMIC distributed amplifier, is very suitable for use in space telecommunications as in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites onboard receivers where the high gain amplifier is very important to assure the success of the space missions.

High-temperature stability of wave absorption properties for SiC enhanced ZrB2–Al2O3 ceramics

To address the challenge of high-temperature microwave absorbing materials (MAM) for the hot-end components of aircraft, SiC enhanced ZrB2–Al2O3 (ZSA) ceramics are prepared by pressureless sintering. In ZSA ceramics, ZrB2 and SiC are the absorbers and Al2O3 is the matrix. The effect of the content of SiC on microwave absorption properties for the ZSA ceramics are studied. The results show that the addition of SiC enhances the MA properties and high-temperature stability of ZrB2–Al2O3 ceramics. Ceramics with an effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 3.9 GHz at a thickness of 1.56 mm; and a minimum reflection loss (RLmin) of −15 dB is obtained. After treatment at 1000 °C for 20 h in an air atmosphere, the EAB reduces to 3.5 GHz at the thickness of 1.56 mm, however, RLmin reaches −21 dB. ZSA ceramics consume microwaves through effect including interfacial polarization relaxation, conductive loss and multiple reflection loss. This work is expected to provide new ideas for the design and development of high-temperature microwave absorbing materials.

Accelerating multilayer frequency selective surface absorber design by combining equivalent circuit models with machine learning

Designing high-performance electromagnetic functional materials and artificial structures is of great significance for electromagnetic wave modulation applications. Optimizing performance in the high-dimensional parameter space of electromagnetic functional materials has posed a challenging problem. This paper proposes the use of reinforcement and transfer learning methods to facilitate the quick and accurate design of wideband circuit analog absorbers (CAA). A trained reinforcement learning network is utilized to comprehend the relationship between reflectivity performance and changes in impedance parameter. Furthermore, the transfer learning method is applied to accelerate the training process, leading in a 20-fold reduction in the number of simulations. To validate the effectiveness of this approach, a double-layer absorber aiming for reflectivity less than −20 dB at 3–10 GHz is designed, requiring only 50 simulations. This demonstrates that the proposed method provides a flexible strategy for the interactive design of equivalent circuit and electromagnetic structural parameters. Moreover, it presents a novel and efficient solution for microwave absorber design, with potential applications across various microwave design fields.

Compact Tri-band Loaded Antenna for wireless Communication and Fifth generation Applications

The tri-band antenna proposed for wireless applications. The proposed antenna with a low profile and compact-T shaped. Two circular rings are connected with stub different pole sizes is shown in this article. The proposed work is carried out using CST Microwave Design Studio on FR-4 substrate with a thickness of 1.6 mm. The suggested antenna works cover all commercial and C band applications in the frequency range of 1 to 6 GHz. It gives triple band at 2.5 GHz for (EBS), 3.5 GHz for 5G band or C-band and 5.8 Ism band for wireless and Wifi Max ,5G applications. An impedance bandwidth of the 15%(2.45 to 2.6),17%(3.32 to 3.6GHz) and 25%(5.5 to 5.8 GHz is obtained. A good conjunction between the simulation and measured results is inferred from design analysis.

Optimizing MMIC performance: The synergy of AI models and heterogeneous integration process

AbstractThis study presents a novel approach for optimizing the parameters of monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) functional units using machine‐learning techniques and multi‐objective optimization algorithms. We utilize advanced machine‐learning methods, including random forest, artificial neural networks (ANNs), and recurrent neural networks (RNNs), to construct highly accurate models that predict the performance of these units. These models are subsequently integrated with a multi‐objective optimization algorithm, specifically the multi‐objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO), to generate inverse design solutions for both the geometric designs of the units and the fabrication parameters of the heterogeneous integration process. Our approach, which has been validated through chip fabrication and testing, has demonstrated its robustness as a tool for achieving optimal MMIC designs. It not only reduces the design time but also enhances the manufacturability of MMICs, thereby opening new avenues in microwave and RF circuit design.

Graphene aerogel encapsulated double carbon shell CoFe@C@C nanocubes for construction of high performance microwave absorbing materials

Recently, Prussian blue analogs (PBAs) have attracted much attention due to their transformation into dielectric/magnetic coupled composites after pyrolysis at high temperatures and their ability to maintain their basic morphology. However, designing efficient microwave-absorbing materials using PBAs is still a challenge. In this work, Co–Fe PBA was prepared by wet chemical method and graphene aerogel-encapsulated double carbon-shell CoFe@C@C nanocubes (CFCCG) were prepared by stirred self-polymerization and hydrothermal method, and heat-treated at different temperatures to obtain composites consisting of core-shell-structured PBA-derived particles encapsulated in a double layer of graphene and polydopamine (PDA). The addition of graphene not only reduces the density of the derived material but also effectively disperses the CoFe@C@C nanocubes to prevent the generated highly conductive carbon layer from adhering to improve the impedance matching, as well as introduces a large number of heterogeneous interfaces to improve the loss capability. Thanks to which the CFCCG7 composites have a reflection loss of −66.33 dB and an effective microwave absorption frequency covering the entire Ku-band. This work provides a new approach for rational design of multilayer carbon structure-coated PBA-based microwave absorbing materials.

Design of monolithic microwave integrated circuit X-band switch on GaAs рНЕМТ

Design of monolithic microwave integrated circuit X-band switch on GaAs рНЕМТ

A novel microwave Doppler method for mass estimation of machine-picked seed cotton

Obtaining information on cotton yields and creating a spatial map of cotton production is the starting point for implementing precision agriculture. Microwave technology has been used for yield estimation in China for crops such as corn and soybeans and has shown strong applicability. However, research on cotton yield estimation using microwave technology is weak. Therefore, this paper proposes a method for seed cotton mass estimation based on the microwave Doppler method and designs bench tests to prove the feasibility of the method. First, a seed cotton speed estimation model was established based on the microwave Doppler effect and fast Fourier transform. On this basis, a seed cotton velocity estimation experiment was designed to study the effects of sensor installation angle and position, pipe collision friction, air resistance, and the interaction force between the seed cotton on the seed cotton movement velocity. The power spectral density (PSD) of the acquired microwave data is then estimated using the modified periodogram method. The least squares method was used to establish a linear regression model between seed cotton mass and the corresponding PSD, and finally the free-fall mass experiment and pneumatic conveying mass experiment yielded that the estimation errors of seed cotton mass were 7.30% and 6.17%, respectively. The experimental results show that the estimation error is small when using microwave technology for seed cotton mass estimation, which meets the requirements of actual operation.

Dielectric Terahertz Characterization of Microwave Substrates and Dry Resist

Microwave fabrication and design techniques are commonly employed in the terahertz (THz) domain. However, a characterization of commercially available microwave dielectric materials is usually lacking at sub-THz and THz frequencies. In this work, we characterized four substrates by Rogers and an Ordyl dry resist between 0.2 and 2 THz, in terms of relative permittivity and loss tangent. The reflectance spectra of the investigated materials were retrieved by means of THz time-domain spectroscopy in reflection mode and post-processed according to a transmission-line model in which the materials’ parameters are fit by means of the Havriliak–Negami variation of the Debye model. The relative permittivity of the investigated materials showed negligible frequency dispersion in the sub-THz and in the THz range. In terms of the loss tangent, the Rogers substrates revealed a more pronounced frequency-dispersive behavior among different materials, as dictated by the Havriliak–Negami model. The Ordyl resist was dispersive in the 0.2–1.2 THz range and presented a nearly constant loss tangent value between 1.2 and 2 THz. These results may represent a reference for the development of innovative components for THz and sub-THz emerging applications.

Recycling waste chaff to prepare biochar with co-decorated CoCO3/CoNiO2 for anti-bacterial microwave dissipation

In order to address the recession of absorption properties and service life in electromagnetic absorbers caused by the bacterial propagation, the design of microwave absorbing composite with excellent antimicrobial character is an urgent requirement. Herein, the grain husk-derived carbon is co-decorated with CoNiO2 and CoCO3 nanoparticles through a facile hydrothermal-carbonization process. The defect structure and graphitization in biochar, complex interfaces between multi-components, and partial magnetic resonances can be regulated with the calcination temperature. With an appropriate impedance matching from balanceable electromagnetic parameters, the C4 composite treated by 650 °C realizes an optimal electromagnetic absorption of -41.87 dB at 2.5 mm thickness with its efficient absorption bandwidth of 4.45 GHz at 1.49 mm, which is mainly owing to the powerful dielectric dissipation caused by polarization and conduction losses together. Additionally, the composite exhibits a higher antimicrobial rate of 97.75 % against ubiquitous E. coli, indicating this work provides a reference for designing antimicrobial microwave absorption materials with better practicality.

Development of a New Equivalent Circuit of DGS with Ideal Transformer

In this paper, a new equivalent circuit of a rectangular dumbbell‐shaped defected ground structure (DGS) with an ideal transformer is proposed. The proposed circuit incorporates a parallel resistor in the DGS gap, enabling the extraction of the coupling coefficient of DGS occurring in the narrow line gaps. Both circuit simulations and measurements demonstrate excellent agreement, confirming excellent performance compared to the measured results. Unlike the conventional equivalent circuit, which consists only of the lumped element, this one has an accuracy of only DGS units. In the proposed circuit, an ideal transformer has higher accuracy for the DGS in parallel with a resistor. We observed that increasing the resistance of the parallel resistor on the DGS unit leads to a decrease in the coupling coefficient and, conversely, decreasing the resistance prompts an increase in the coupling coefficient. The goal of this study is to develop a new equivalent circuit for a DGS unit with the ideal transformer, especially to find the coupling coefficient that occurred in the DGS gap. Here, we analyzed that the structure of the DGS unit had a gap, and the coupling coefficient must be built into any value. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed circuit, DGS was used to design and conduct fabrication and measurement. The advantages of the proposed circuit analysis of the DGS behavior can be used to develop the attenuation pole as a one‐pole low‐pass filter, paving the way for future applications and developments in microwave and RF circuit design.

Microwave Modeling and Design Optimization: The Legacy of John Bandler

Microwave Modeling and Design Optimization: The Legacy of John Bandler