Semester: Spring

This class will focus on the art of integrated microwave electronics and offer fundamental electromagnetic analysis techniques to de-bunk the so called black-magic of RF/Microwave circuits. The class will have an emphasis on board-level concepts that require looking through a pair of electromagnetic goggles to truly understand the phenomena that can either result in a successful or unsuccessful board spin. For example, have you ever wanted to know what all those vias do on an evaluation board? Do they serve a purpose? How would I know where and how many vias to place? This example illustrates how each and every via on a printed circuit board serves a very important purpose. This is one example of many topics to be covered in this class where we will evaluate the problem, understand the electromagnetic phenomena, model its effective behavior, and derive a solution using core electromagnetic understanding. The outcome of this class is for students to have a series of design guidelines, both from the notes and project reports, that can be referenced for future RF/microwave designs. This course is purely project based and exposes students to both traditional circuit simulator software (ADS Keysight) and a finite-element-method electromagntic solver (HFSS) to develop critical modeling and simulation skills desired in industry.