Georgia Tech: Basic Concepts of RF Printed Circuits

Basic Concepts of RF Printed Circuits

Program ID: DEF 1503P
Program type: Short Courses (weekday)
CEUs: 1.9

Location/
(Accommodations)

Program Administrator

Start

End

Status

Cost

Georgia Tech Global Learning Center
(Georgia Tech Hotel)

Mr. Glenn Hopkins

February 2, 2010

February 4, 2010

$1,395.00

Section ID: 10169/220410380

NOTES:
-- On the first day, check in at least 30 minutes before the class start time.
-- Discount available for companies that send 3 or more people to this course. Call 404-385-3501 to register your group.

-- Georgia Tech employees should call 404-385-3501 to register by phone, and have their PeopleSoft number ready.

Meeting time(s):
•Tuesday, February 2, 2010 (8:00 AM-4:30 PM)
•Wednesday, February 3, 2010 (8:00 AM-4:30 PM)
•Thursday, February 4, 2010 (8:00 AM-4:30 PM)

Build an Understanding of RF Printed Circuits

Course Description

Build an intuitive understanding of how radio frequency printed circuits work. Explore the basics of electromagnetic fields and power transfer, printed circuit transmission and component topologies, and passive and active circuit architectures. Discuss printed circuit design, fabrication, and testing. Design, build, and test a circuit as a lab exercise. Understand the underlying physics and trade-offs in implementation.

Who Should Attend

Engineers, technicians, and managers

How You Will Benefit

Understand capabilities and functions of radio frequency printed circuits
Know how and when to use either lumped or distributed passive circuits
Explore basics of signal generation, amplification, and reception
Examine amplifier configurations for transmitters (power amplifiers) and receivers (low noise amplifiers)
Learn how we measure and assess circuit performance
Discover how modulation works and how we use frequency mixers
Understand how printed circuits are fabricated
See examples of commercial drop-in components
Learn the basics of circuit design simulation
Verify these concepts through a lab experiment with each student designing, hands-on prototyping, and measuring a simple circuit

What You Will Cover

Introduction to RF Printed Circuit Concepts
Basic Electrical Concepts and Electromagnetic Theory - Fields and Voltages, Currents, Impedance
Scattering (S-) Parameters
Transmission Line Theory, Including an Introduction to the Smith Chart
How We Make S-Parameter Measurements
Introduction to Modeling & Simulation of Printed Circuits
Printed Transmission Line Basics: Microstrip, Stripline, Coplanar Waveguide, and Slotline
Substrate Material and Metallization
Fabrication Techniques, Including Print and Etch Process and Multilayer
Passive Circuits Basics: Lumped and Distributed
Passive Filters and Signal Combining
Student Laboratory: Design, Fabricate, and Test Simple Passive Circuits
Active Circuit Basics: Signal Generation, Transmitters, and Receivers
Amplifier Basics: Oscillators, Low Noise, and Power Amplifiers
Modeling & Simulation of Active Circuits
Modulation and Mixers
Switches, Connectors, Circulators, and Other Drop-In Components
Commercially Available Components
Active Circuit Measurement Techniques
Electromagnetic Interference and Shielding (Anti-Antennas)
Examples of Radio Frequency Printed Circuit Applications in Communications and Radar

Course Materials

Participants receive a spiral-bound book of presentation slides with CD of course materials including noncommercial software used in the course. Agilent ADS is not provided.

Certificates

This course is an elective for the:

Instuctors

Glenn Hopkins, Georgia Tech Research Institute senior research engineer, has more than 21 years of experience. He has performed analyses, design, development, and testing on a wide range of electromagnetic components and subsystems, including radio frequency printed circuits and antennas. His two patents involve printed circuit feed topologies for array antennas. Hopkins earned his M.S.E.E. from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Robert Kerr, Georgia Tech Research Institute senior research engineer, has more than 24 years of experience and has performed comprehensive analyses, design, development and operational engineering of several large-scale, high power radar systems supporting U.S. government research programs. His interests are in low noise radio frequency and microwave analog electronic design and nonlinear electronic circuit design. He supports the IEEE MTT and AES Societies.

Barry Sharp, senior research engineer with GTRI's Aerospace, Transportation and Advanced Systems Laboratory, has more than 27 years experience with GTRI and five years experience as a design engineer for Scientific-Atlanta Inc. He has performed design, development, and testing of a wide range of radar receivers and exciters, communications receivers, and power supplies, including the design and development of radio frequency printed circuit boards. He has published 12 technical papers and reports including symposia papers and journal publications. He is a senior member of the IEEE, a member of the AES Society, has served as the chapter president for ITEA.