RF and Microwave Activities
Nanotechnology Centre ATI
Current projects:
1. Materials characterization to 220GHz
2. Novel mm-wave antenna structures at 60GHz and 77GHz
3. Multi-layer 15GHz circularly polarized antenna
4. Filters with defected ground planes
5. Adaptive antenna structures
6. Compact satellite antennas
7. Multifunction microwave antennas
8. Wireless sensors using carbon nano-tubes
9. Miniature microwave carbon nano-tube structures
RF and Microwave Activities
Nanotechnology Centre ATI
EPSRC Grant January 2004 - December 2006 £215k
‘Integrated antenna for millimetre-wave MCMs’
Charles Free and Manju Henry
Outcomes so far:
1. Prototype 60GHz integrated antenna has been designed and successfully tested.
2. LTCC (low temperature co-fired ceramic) process has been established in the ATI at Surrey.
3. New technique has been established for minimising conductor losses at mm-wave frequencies to 110GHz.
RF and Microwave Activities
Nanotechnology Centre ATI
Future projects (under development):
1. Novel miniature microwave components based on carbon nano-tubes.
2. Integration of distributed optical components within a multi-layer mm-wave circuit to give optical-microwave coupling.
3. Hybrid microwave integrated circuits using mixed matrials technology.
4. Establishment of measurement standards for planar millimetre-wave circuits (with external collaborator).
5. Planar active microwave antennas, based on new polymer materials (with external collaborator).
6. Exploitation of GaN for millimetre-wave MMICs.
RF and Microwave Activities
Nanotechnology Centre ATI
TE01 mode
Mode filter
Test structure
Measured loss tangent data
00.001
0.0020.003
0.0040.005
0.006
0 10 20 30 40 50
Frequency (GHz)
Loss
tang
ent
Alumina
Printed #1
LTCC
Measured loss tangent
New slit-cavity technique for measuring mm-wave parameters
of materials
RF and Microwave Activities
Nanotechnology Centre ATI
New concept for circularly polarized planar antennas
15GHz LTCC antenna
Measured high-quality circular polarization
RF and Microwave Activities
Nanotechnology Centre ATI
300um
380um
Alumina
r = 3.9180um
0
0.4
0.8
1.2
1.6
2
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Frequency (GHz)
Inse
rtion
Los
s (d
B)
Multi-layer thick-film technology used to produce high quality
planar microwave components
RF and Microwave Activities
Nanotechnology Centre ATI
Branch line coupler [ 2mm x 2mm ]
Rat-race coupler [ 2mm x 1mm ]
9.0 9.5-40 160
11.5 12.0
180
200
260
280
300
10.0 10.5 11.0Frequency - GHz
-35
-30
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
dB
240
220 Pha
se -
Deg
coupling
return loss
isolation
Photoimageable thick-film technology has been used to produce miniature microwave
components giving high performance
RF and Microwave Activities
Nanotechnology Centre ATI
Microwave Laboratory Major Facilities:
Testing: • Vector Network Analyzer Systems to 220GHz
Fabrication: • Traditional thick-film
• Photoimageable thick-film
• LTCC (Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic)
RF and Microwave Activities
Nanotechnology Centre ATI
Active External Collaborations:
1. Heraeus Inc (Germany and US)
Characterization of ceramic materials at microwave and millimetre-wave frequencies.
2. University of Oulu (Finland)
Microwave planar antenna using LTCC
3. Thales Aerospace (UK)
Application of GaN in microwave devices
4. PECL (UK)
Compact planar antennas using new polymer materials
5. University of Kent (UK)
Integrated microwave antennas
