73389 - Laboratory Of High Frequency Electronic Circuit Design M

Academic Year 2019/2020

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Telecommunications Engineering (cod. 9205)

    Also valid for Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Electronic Engineering (cod. 0934)

Learning outcomes

The student will learn the specific procedures for the analysis and the design of RF, microwave and millimeter-wave circuits by exploiting the most advanced CAD tools. Specific projects will be assigned to attendants. Each project consists in the design of a typical RF or microwave circuit exploited in communication system front-ends (e.g. transmitters, receivers, transponders, transceivers) or in high-frequency remote sensor systems (e.g. radars, SARs, altimeters). Note: This course is taken from the Second-cycle Degree in Ingegneria Elettronica.

Course contents

Frontal lectures are not delivered in this course.

Specific projects will be assigned to attendants. Each project will consist in the design of a typical RF or microwave circuit exploited in communication system front-ends (e.g. transmitters, receivers, transponders, transceivers) or in high-frequency remote sensor systems (e.g. radars, SARs, altimeters). The assigned RF/microwave circuit is selected among typical building block circuits, even according to the specific interests of the student, such as: power amplifiers, low noise amplifiers, oscillators (VCO, DRO, XO), mixers, multipliers and dividers.

Circuit technology: the assigned circuit could be intended for either a hybrid or monolithic implementation.

Requirements: general knowledge of electronic analog circuits, circuit analysis, Field Effect and Bipolar Transistors.

Prerequisites: attendance to “Elettronica delle Telecomunicazioni M-A” is encouraged even if not compulsory. Besides a close insight into the operation of several high-frequency circuits for telecommunication, this course also includes laboratory classes that give a first introduction on the use of CAD software.

Location: EDM-Lab (DEI) – CAD Room; the project is carried out by using PCs equipped with CAD tools. A PC-based station is assigned to each course attendant. Access to EDM-Lab is scheduled by the lecturer.

Readings/Bibliography

1) G. Gonzales, Microwave Transistor Amplifiers, Artech House

2) Steve C. Cripps, “RF power amplifiers for wireless communications”, second edition, The Artech House Microwave Library, 2006

3) John L.B. Walker, “High Power GaAs FET Amplifiers” Artech House

4) Stephen A. Maas, “Nonlinear Microwave Circuits” Artech House

5) Stephen A. Maas, “Microwave mixers”, The Artech House Microwave Library, 1993

6) Advanced Design System (ADS) manuals and application notes at www.agilent.com

Teaching methods

The attendants will be given the following material and assistance to support their activity during the project:

Circuit performance specifications, electrical models of the technology selected for the design, CAD manuals, application notes on relevant design examples, laboratory classes to practice the use of the CAD assisted by the lecturer.

Assessment methods

The final test consists of the following parts which contribute to the evaluation of the student activity:

1) 5-page report of the simulated performances of the designed circuit and comparison with specifications.

2) Brief interview to describe the project directly in the CAD environment.

Teaching tools

CAD tool: the circuit analysis and design will be carried out in the framework of a CAD integrated environment for circuit design, widely used by companies in the field of RF and microwave circuits and systems (e.g. either Agilent Advanced Design System – ADS - or AWR Microwave Office -MWO). Circuit Analyses: DC, small-signal AC (Y/Z parameters), S-parameter, Harmonic Balance, Envelope Simulation, layout generation.

Office hours

See the website of Corrado Florian