INTELLECTUAL MERIT: Competitive next-generation radar sensors in radio frequency range 2-50GHz should preferably be a large bandwidth, high performance, low power consumption, low cost, small-sized and a light-weight solution. The development of semiconductor technology in recent years has led to the microwave monolithic integrated circuit technique, which made it possible to design the microwave transmitter/receiver directly on a single chip with the advantages that the traditional discrete solution can not achieve. Another approach to fulfill the above performance requirements is the development and utilization of artificially-structured metamaterial, whose potential advantages include increased bandwidth and the physical size reduction. Research aiming at different applications can be carried out based on the two approaches. The investigators request a vector network analyzer, a signal generator, and the microwave design/simulation software to enhance and initialize the research in microwave sensor design and its three specific applications: 1) the development of low false-alert-rate radio frequency sensors for south border surveillance, 2) the ultra-wideband microwave imaging technique in biomedical diagnosis, and 3) high-efficiency miniature patch antenna design with metamaterial substrate.
BROADER IMPACTS: The proposed instrumentation and research projects can directly advance and enhance the microwave technology and its applications in national security, biomedical imaging, and wireless communication. It will lead to the first microwave monolithic integrated circuit research center in south Texas valley region and will be essential for the growth of the department, the university and the community as a whole. The interdisciplinary aspect of the research activities will allow students and researchers to be exposed to several engineering areas. The project will also help nurture an expanding research and education environment for the underrepresented Hispanic students in the region. Ten to forty students are expected to use the proposed instrumentation for their senior design and laboratory projects over
