Tutorials
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Title: High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers and Transmitters
Presented by: Frederick Raab Abstract Bio
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Title: Linearization: Reducing Distortion in Power Amplifiers
Presented by: Dr. Allen Katz Abstract Bio
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Title: Software Defined Radio for Microwave Applications: Explanation, Evolution, Design Details, Your Role in SDR, and
Several Live Demonstrations
Presented by: Dr. Jeffrey Pawlan Abstract Bio
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Title: New Directions in MEMS for RF Front-Ends and Sensors
Presented by: Professor Dimitrios Peroulis Abstract Bio
High-Efficiency Power Amplifiers and Transmitters
Abstract: This tutorial will cover an
overview of techniques for high-efficiency RF-power
amplification. This generally requires both a high-efficiency
power amplifier and an architecture for using it to achieve
linear amplification. First, some basic concepts about
transistors and the concept of average efficiency are
introduced. The characteristics of conventional amplifiers
(classes A, B, and C) are then reviewed. The principles,
demonstrated achievements, and practical limitations of RF-power
amplifiers operating in class D, class E, and class F are then
discussed. Techniques for high-efficiency linear amplification
are then discussed. These include the Kahn EER technique,
envelope tracking, Doherty, and Chireix outphasing, as well as
high-level amplitude modulators. Finally some speculation on
emerging techniques is offered.
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Frederick
H. Raab is Chief Engineer and Owner of Green
Mountain Radio Research, the consulting firm that he founded in
1980. He received B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical
engineering from Iowa State University in 1968, 1970, and 1972.
He received the I.S.U. Professional Achievement Citation in
Engineering in 1995 and was named an IEEE fellow in 2006. The
textbook Solid State Radio Engineering, coauthored by Dr. Raab,
is widely used by both academics and practicing engineers. Other
professional achievements include publication of over 100
technical papers and award of twelve patents. Professional
leadership includes serving as technical program chairman for RF
Expo East '90 and founding technical committee MTT-17 that
expands the IEEE MTT Society to include HF/VHF/UHF engineers. He
is a member of IEEE, HKN, SX, AOC, AFCEA, RCA (fellow), and
ARRL. "Fritz" is extra-class amateur-radio operator W1FR,
licensed since 1961, and is coordinator of the ARRL 500-kHz
experiment.
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Linearization: Reducing Distortion in Power Amplifiers
Abstract: Our society’s need to exchange
greater and greater amounts of information has created an
unprecedented demand for highly linear power amplifiers. High
linearity is required for the spectrally efficient transmission
of information. This tutorial will discuss techniques for the
cancellation of distortion that are also known as linearization.
Different methods of linearization including digital approaches
will be introduced and compared. The linearization of
solid-state power amplifiers (including GaN devices), traveling
wave tube amplifiers, klystron power amplifiers and even
photonic applications will be considered. Criteria for the
evaluation of linearity will be reviewed and topics such as
memory effects and very wideband linearization addressed.
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Dr. Allen Katz is a professor of
Electrical/Computer Engineering at The College of New Jersey. He
has more than 25 years of experience in the microwave and
satellite industries. He received a Doctorate of Science and
Baccalaureate degrees in Electrical Engineering from New Jersey
Institute of Technology and a Master of Science in Electrical
Engineering from Rutgers University. His work spans the
frequency range from UHF to light and has involved both hybrid
and MMIC circuits including the design of the first practical
MMIC linearizer. He is founder and President of Linearizer
Technology, Inc., a New Jersey based company dedicated to
distortion correction that now includes Linear Photonics, LLC
and Linear Space Technology, LLC.
Dr. Katz is a Fellow of the IEEE and a past Micro¬wave Theory
and Techniques (MTT) Society Distinguished Lecturer. He holds 17
patents and has written more than 85 technical publications. He
received the IEEE Microwave Magazine Best Paper Award in 2010,
the William Randolph Lovelace II Award for outstanding
contributions to space science and technology from the American
Astronautical Society in 2002, an IEEE Third Millennium Medal in
2000, the Martin Marietta Astro Inventor of the year award in
1993, an IEEE Centennial Medal in 1984, the ASEE Western
Electric Fund Outstanding Engineering Educator Award in 1979,
and three IEEE Region I Achievement Awards.
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Abstract: Software Defined Radio is now the
preferred method of implementing most radio communications
equipment. This tutorial will start by introducing the history
and the evolution of several generations of SDR. The concepts
will be made clear to the microwave engineer by analogy and
comparison to conventional analog techniques. This tutorial will
include demonstrations of image rejection, over-sampling,
under-sampling, recording of entire frequency bands, and
real-time filtering done in software. Cellular basestations
require many signals to be received and transmitted
simultaneously. This is now done using SDR to achieve
flexibility, smaller size, lower cost, and lower power. Some of
the design considerations will be discussed to show their
tradeoffs between performance and cost. The RF/microwave
engineer today must adapt to this new system approach yet it
requires even better RF and microwave designs than before.
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Jeffrey Pawlan (M 1989, SM 1996) has been a consultant as owner of Pawlan Communications for 20 years. Prior to that, he had worked for many companies in California in very diverse areas of analog, RF, and microwave design. Some of his work was for NASA projects. He also taught engineering part-time. Born and raised in the Los Angeles area, he attended UCLA and several other universities. He enjoyed learning many different fields and has 13 years of higher education including a Doctorate degree.
He has worked on projects for consumer, industrial, and military applications covering a wide range of the spectrum from LF to 50GHz. In addition to his primary involvement with the MTT society, he is also a member of the UFFC concentrating on low phase noise oscillators and phase noise measurements. He has published several papers and has two patents. He is serving as a member on the IEEE ECV Section ExCom and also is on the ExCom of the Central Area, Region 6.
He has been designing RF and microwave hardware for Software Defined Radio uses within instrumentation and military satellite communications since 1984. For the past seven years he has been concentrating on Software Defined Radio technology with his own radio designs including the development of very capable software and hardware. He has presented talks at several engineering conferences, a workshop at the 2010 MTT IMS in Anaheim, the 2011 IMS in Baltimore, and also at his local SCV MTT chapter meeting and a short course. He was a guest lecturer at the Czech Technical University of Prague last year. Recently he was a guest lecturer at the University of Aveiro Institute of Telecommunications in Portugal where he presented a one week course on RF design and SDR.
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New Directions in MEMS for RF Front-Ends and Sensors
Abstract: This tutorial will begin by
reviewing the state of the art in commercially-available RF MEMS
and sensors. The focus will be on discussing specific challenges
that have prevented some of the most promising MEMS devices in
becoming commercially available and new methods for addressing
them. We seek solutions at the fabrication technology, device,
and sub-system levels. As an example, we will present unique
three dimensional architectures for obtaining base-station
quality tunable microwave filters in mobile form factors. These
filters simultaneously exhibit a very wide tuning range (>2:1)
and a very high quality factor (Q>1,000) at 6 GHz and beyond. We
will also present novel electronic monitoring techniques for
diagnostics and prognostics of RF MEMS switches and varactors.
Besides MEMS for RF systems, we will also discuss
inherently-reliable harsh-environment MEMS sensors for the
health monitoring of aircraft engines. These sensors have
demonstrated reliable operation up to 500C and have successfully
identified operating condition changes and imminent failures
when attached to ball/roller bearings rotating up to 50,000 rpm.
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Dimitrios Peroulis
(S’99–M’04) received his PhD in Electrical Engineering
from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 2003. He has
been with Purdue University since August 2003 where he is
currently leading a group of graduate students on a variety of
research projects in the areas of RF MEMS, sensing and power
harvesting applications as well as RFID sensors for the health
monitoring of sensitive equipment. He has been a PI or a co-PI
in numerous projects funded by government agencies and industry
in these areas. He is currently a key contributor in two DARPA
projects at Purdue focusing on 1) very high quality (Q>1,000) RF
tunable filters in mobile form factors (DARPA Analog Spectral
Processing Program, Phases I, II and III) and on 2) developing
comprehensive characterization methods and models for
understanding the viscoelasticity/creep phenomena in high-power
RF MEMS devices (DARPA M/NEMS S&T Fundamentals Program, Phases I
and II). Furthermore, he is leading the experimental program on
the Center for the Prediction of Reliability, Integrity and
Survivability of Microsystems (PRISM) funded by the National
Nuclear Security Administration. In addition, he is heading the
development of the MEMS technology in a U.S. Navy project
(Marines) funded under the Technology Insertion Program for
Savings (TIPS) program focused on harsh-environment wireless
micro-sensors for the health monitoring of aircraft engines. He
has over 130 refereed journal and conference publications in the
areas of microwave integrated circuits, sensors and antennas. He
received the National Science Foundation CAREER award in 2008.
His students have received numerous student paper awards and
other student research-based scholarships. He is a Purdue
University Faculty Scholar and has also received eight teaching
awards including the 2010 HKN C. Holmes MacDonald Outstanding
Teaching Award and the 2010 Charles B. Murphy award, which is
Purdue University's highest undergraduate teaching honor.Top of Page