3D analysis and optimization of microwave circuits by the method of moments

The design and minaturization of microwave circuits involves the analysis and optimization of a large varity of structures, which, in general, are based on arbritrary objects embedded in also arbritary media. The most common situation is found when optimizing terminal antennas, whose main constraint is the antenna's volume, which must be fitted into a specified space, which in general is the phone or laptop case. This kind of antennas can also include stratified media, oblique metallizations, dielectric objects, waveguide components, in their definition making their analysis more difficult from the numeric point of view. The complete treatment of this kind of problems has been performed traditionally using Finite Differences or Finite Elements software, while it is more rare to find Method of Moments implementations for the solution of this kind of general problems. The Method of Moments has a certain number of advantages as the inclusion of radiation conditions or stratified media in the Green's function of the problem. Due to this it is possible to mesh only the surfaces or boundary conditions that are not included in the Green's function definition, obtaining, for instance, a more natural radiation boundary condition compared to other fullwave methods. The other big concern is the optimization of this kind of structures. In general the structures we are dealing with in this work can have very irregular shapes, in order to fit within the required volume constraints. The traditional optimizations techniques based on the gradient or conjugated gradient are not efficient when optimizing functions containning multiple minima and a large search space, which is the case in the optimization of terminal antennas. When miniaturizing terminal antennas or just a simple microstrip filter, the number of unknowns can be very large, and the different optimization variables can vary within wide limits in the search space. In this situation the Genetic Algorithms are ideal for seeking the global optimum solution of our problem. This work covers the analysis and optimization of microwave circuits, including antennas and filters in microstrip and waveguide technologies, paying more attention to the implementation of the Method of Moments (MoM) in conjugation with the Mixed Potential Integral Equation (MPIE) and Electric/Magnetic Field Integral Equation (EFIE/MFIE). The work has been split into 3 main goals: The analysis of 3 dimensional structures in stratified media, including arbritary shaped dielectric bodies using the Method of Moments, (MPIE,EFIE,MFIE). The analysis of shielded environments and more precisely the analysis of retangular waveguide cavities with the Method of Moments. The implementation of several optimization techniques, emcompassed in the frame of genetic algorithms, for the design and miniaturization of terminal antennas and microstrip filters. Some relevant examples linked to the efficiency and accuracy of the different methods and techiques explained in this work are included in each chapter, yielding to practical results suitable to be used in real life design problems. The main contributions of this work can be summarized as follows: In Chapter 2 we have developed the interpolation of 3D Green's function to the general solution of dielectric objects embedded in multilayered media. The interpolation method itself is preceeded by a spectral extraction of the quasi-static terms. This technique, very often applied in complex images techniques, has been applied to our specific Green's function problem yielding very good results in terms of accuracy and Green's function computation time. Another contribution, also emcompassed in Chapter 2, is the integration of the static part of the field dyadic G̿EM, performed by splitting the field dyadic into TM and TE components, allowing then an analytical integration of the dyadic terms in stratified media. In the frame of shielded environments in Chapter 3, the most important contribution is the extension of Ewald's acceleration technique to full electric and magnetic problems, allowing the acceleration of the field dyadic G̿EM and thus permit the extension of the MoM to the simulation of arbritary metallic shapes coupled to apertures through Ewald's approach. In Chapter 4 the most important contribution is the implementation of a Bayesian optimiser based on the estimation of probability made by dependencies trees. The dependency tree based method found in [1] and later in [2] has been adapted to the terminal antenna miniaturization yielding to excellent results in optimisation time and quality of the solution provided by the optimiser. Our implementation of the dependency tree method was found to be better than the traditional method used in this kind of problems. Chapter 4 contains also an implementation of the growing cells method presented in [3] for the specific problem of optimising pseudo periodic structures, like microwave filters, yielding to a powerful interpolating method which accelerates the optimisation process of microwaves devices whose fitness response is very time consuming.

Optimization of an acoustic leaky-wave antenna based on acoustic metamaterial

Sami Driss Karkar, Hervé Lissek, Seyyed Hussein Seyyed Esfahlani

In recent years, an increasing number of pioneering studies have been carried out in the field of acoustic metamaterials, following the path of electromagnetic metamaterials. These artificial engineered materials are designed in such a way so as to achieve new macroscopic properties, like negative refraction, that are not readily present in nature. While the design and the fabrication of these artificial materials is a hot topic among scientists in different fields of physics such as photonic, electromagnetic, acoustic and recently mechanic, an important part of the scientific research is now oriented towards the identification of actual applications for these structures. As the novel idea of metamaterial was first developed in the electromagnetic realm and for the microwave frequency range, it is somehow more mature in these fields than in acoustics. Metamaterial applications are now widely developed in electromagnetics especially for the design of new antenna. Among other examples, metamaterial concepts are aiming at reducing the coupling between two adjacent radiating elements of the array and increasing the operating bandwidth of radiating elements. It is also used for phase compensation in microwave transistors, and many more applications are rising in the recent literature. In year 2009, in analogy with electromagnetic transmission line metamaterial, our group proposed a concept of acoustic transmission line metamaterial, consisting of a waveguide periodically loaded with membranes along the duct, and transverse open channels (denoted “stubs”). Based on our proposed structure and in analogy with applications of transmission line electromagnetic metamaterials, researchers proposed the idea of an acoustic counterpart to the “backward wave antenna”. These antennas or radiating devices have a very special property such that the radiation angle or the directivity changes with the frequency. In this article, a comprehensive, step by step, design methodology for acoustic backward wave antenna is presented. For this purpose we use the model proposed in our 2009 publication for acoustic transmission line metamaterial, but we focus the discussion on the optimization of the antenna performance. We also propose some closed form formulas for the practical design of such devices, and a formal validation of the structure is proposed using Comsol Multiphysics.

2013

Electromagnetic Modelling of Planar Circuits Embedded in Laterally Shielded Multilayered Media

Laleh Golestanirad

Multilayered media with printed circuits embedded between their dielectric layers are one of the most successful technologies for manufacturing planar structures with a very promising performance-to-price ratio. These planar structures include many different geometries ranging from cavity-backed microstrip antennas through Frequency Selective Surfaces (FSS) and photonic band-gap structures, to shielded printed circuits and ultra-wide-band slot-line microwave filters. The electromagnetic characteristics of such structures can be modeled with a wide range of numerical techniques. In recent years we have witnessed a remarkable progress in developing numerical solvers specialized in analyzing specific electromagnetic problems including the Integral Equation technique (IE) solved by the Method of Moments (MoM) which has proven to be very robust and efficient in the framework of partially open or shielded planar structures. As a part of this study an efficient CAD tool was developed based on the IE formulation and implemented in the context of the MoM technique. It includes a rigorous mathematical formulation of the electromagnetic problem which automatically incorporates the effects of the metallic shield (cavity) and the multilayered substrate which supports different layers of metallization (interfaces). A comprehensive study has been carried out to point out the convergence of the proposed algorithm along with a detailed validation, verification and benchmarking plan. The tool is developed in such a way that is capable of working with a hybrid mesh (combination of both rectangular and triangular cells) which gives it a great flexibility in analyzing any arbitrarily-shaped embedded circuitry. To enhance the overall performance of the algorithm, symmetry options have been formulated and implemented. These additional features have shown to dramatically reduce the computational and temporal requirements and thus expand the range of microwave devices which can be efficiently analyzed by the software, such as filters based on waveguide structures and FSSs. Other enhancement techniques have been envisaged based on selective MoM matrix member calculation which successfully reduce the number of unknowns in large microstrip layouts while maintaining an acceptable accuracy. Mathematical formulations are developed to provide the capability of handling lumped ports (representing coaxial-line feeds) and waveguide excitations. The implementation of combined ports in the framework of planar multilayered structures is shown to be practically useful in analyzing systems that have both waveguide connections and planar circuitries in their structure as it enables the application of highly specialized algorithms in the analysis of each part of the system and subsequent communication of the network characterizations at the ports' interfaces. This approach has considerably enhanced the overall performance of the analysis tool by reducing the computation time and memory requirements to a great extent.

EPFL2011

A simple & [and] accessible front-end satellite receiver for communications and e-learning in emerging countries

Olivier Videme Bossou

For the universities of the emergent countries, and those of Cameroon in particular, the fight to reach a durable development requires to know the needed scientific and technical information for their development, how to get it and to spread it out among partners in the country. Obviously, the complete answer to these preoccupations lies well beyond the framework of this project, but a projection, partial but highly significant, can nevertheless be obtained if one concentrates one's efforts on a specific technological field : in the present study, we shall treat of antennas for telecommunications systems. This subject is highly suitable as example and potential incubator for future achievements. The ultimate goal is to design and carry out the fabrication of a system of satellite communications adapted to the financial resources and to the development needs of the universities of the South. First of all, we will review the state of the art in satellite communication systems, both for already operating ones and also for new systems, still under development. Then we will determine which system of satellite telecommunications has a receiver and communication fees with affordable costs : our choice will be made on Worldspace satellite system, which was actually designed for developing countries. We will also review the status of planar antenna and low noise amplifier technology, and then explicit the basic challenge involved in our thesis project. One of the aims of this project is to use local wood as dielectric in SSFIP type antennas. Before using a material as dielectric in an antenna design, it must be characterized. Before carrying the characterization of local wood species, we will begin by reviewing some commonly used dielectric measurement techniques. Then we will carry out a series of measurements to characterize the species of wood growing in the Cameroonian forest. At the end of the series of measurements and according to the dielectric losses observed, we will select the species of wood best suited to make a good substrate for a microstrip antenna. Next, we will design, manufacture and test low cost antennas. These antennas must satisfy not only technical criteria compatible with those of the telecommunications system chosen but, even most importantly, it must meet socioeconomic criteria : the antennas must be manufactured with low cost and locally available materials, making use of simple technological processes. Once we have found the wood species that exhibits the lowest dielectric losses, we will simulate, and then manufacture the SSFIP type antenna with wood as substrate and aluminium as conducting element. Then we will measure its characteristics and check whether they are compatible with those of a Worldspace receiver. The signal received from the satellite by the antenna is very weak. It will be important to strengthen the received signal with a low noise amplifier (LNA) before connecting the antenna to the receiver. Thus the antenna and the LNA constitute an active antenna and form what we call here the radiofrequency (RF) front-end. We will design, manufacture and measure the LNA characteristics. A simple manufacturing process must be used to realize these antennas, because later on they must be manufactured locally in Cameroon : this is a determining challenge to ensure the economic independence, which is essential in our thesis project. Afterwards we will join the LNA to the planar antenna and connect the active antenna obtained in this manner to a commercial Worldspace receiver. Finally, we will perform receiving tests of the Worldspace radio station with the system designed. In parallel, our project includes a second goal, which presents an equivalent significance. We will use existing Matlab codes to develop an online course to teach antenna theory. In addition, at the end of the project and when the Cameroonian local manufacture would have started, we will put all algorithms used for the antenna design on the web site in a multi-media applet, together with a complete documentation of all the manufacturing technologies used. The courses that already exist in Lausanne and Yaounde, relating to the description of other types of antennas will be added, thus leading to a complete teachware that would ensure the durability and the dissemination of the results obtained, and would provide an invaluable tool for teaching and training.

EPFL2007