This MRI proposal will acquire equipment to establish an RF communication and antenna design research laboratory at Jackson State University (JSU). The laboratory will advance the knowledge and development of future generation state of the art RF communication systems. The establishment of the laboratory will support research projects in RF communications and antenna design that are ongoing in the Department of Computer of Engineering at JSU. The first research project involves the design of microstrip antennas for ultra wideband phased arrays, spatial power combiners and wireless communication applications. The second research project focuses on measurement and characterization of communication channels which is critical for the design of efficient receivers. The third research project deals with the design of high efficiency RF power amplifiers, which dominate the power consumption of many today's transceivers because of the necessity to deliver a large amount of power to the antenna.
Intellectual merit: The research projects enumerated will advance promising techniques for the development of efficient phased array antennas for ultra wide band applications and the design of efficient RF power amplifiers for low power portable electronics. The result of the channel measurement and characterization project will also add knowledge and understanding about the channel characteristics at ultra wideband frequencies which provides valuable insight and aids the derivation of more accurate channel models. Broader Impact: The development of efficient antennas and RF power amplifiers coupled with the accurate modeling of channels has broader impact in the development of superior communication devices for both commercial and military applications. The project will contribute significantly to enhancing the research and educational infrastructure of the Department of Computer Engineering at JSU providing an opportunity for minority undergraduate and graduate students at JSU to work in advanced engineering research.
