Overview of Focus and Special Sessions at IMS2012 - IEEE Xplore

Overview of Focus and Special Sessions at IMS2012 Natalia K. Nikolova and Mohamed H. Bakr Unprecedented Microwave Devices Based on Nanomaterials

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he conference program for the 2012 International Microwave Symposium (IMS2012) will include 13 Focus and four Special Sessions. The Focus Sessions are technical in nature and cover a diverse range of topics that should be of interest to many members of the microwave community. In contrast to the technical nature of the Focus Sessions, the Special Sessions are commemorative and/or historical in nature. One of the Special Sessions is dedicated to commemorating the life and achievements of Rüdiger Vahldieck, who made invaluable contributions to the field of microwave engineering and the IEEE. A summary of each of the Focus and Special Sessions is included below.

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Focus Sessions Terahertz Imaging Sponsored by Technical Committee MTT-4 Terahertz Technology and Applications. Organizers: Goutam Chattopadhyay (JPL/Caltech) and Jon B. Hacker (Teledyne Scientific). Imaging at terahertz frequencies has received unprecedented attention for security screening and standoff weapon detection. Impressive progress has

Natalia K. Nikolova ([email protected]) and Mohamed H. Bakr are with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MMM.2012.2186369 Date of publication: 9 April 2012

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recently been demonstrated. Due to its short wavelength and ability to penetrate dust, smog, and clothes, this frequency band is ideal for imaging person-borne contraband concealed under garments. Microwave and millimeter wave systems are capable of doing the same; however, they require a much bigger aperture for the same spatial resolution, which is a crucial parameter for differentiating guns from cell phones. On the other hand, infrared systems cannot penetrate clothes and are inoperable in dust, smog, and rain. Different concepts in terahertz imaging will be highlighted such as passive, active, and radar imagers. Talks will also address the challenges in the deployment of these imaging instruments in real-world conditions.

Sponsored by MTT-25 RF Nanotechnology and cosponsored by MTT-15 Microwave Field Theory and MTT-24 RFID Technologies. Organizers: Luca Pierantoni (Università Politecnica delle Marche) and Christophe Caloz (École Polytechnique de Montréal). Nanotechnology has a tremendous potential in various areas of science and technology. Specifically, RF nanotechnology represents an emerging branch of nanotechnology with possibilities for unprecedented microwave, millimeter-wave, and terahertz devices and systems. A myriad of exciting research projects on novel materials and nanoscience are currently being carried out around the world, and some of them may pave the way for a new generation of microwave circuits, offering higher integration capabilities and densities, lower power consumption, enhanced electrothermal/mechanical properties, and novel functionalities. As there is little doubt that RF nanoelectronics will play a major role in the advancement of microwave technology in the forthcoming decades, this area represents a major opportunity for the Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S). Our Society is best placed to apply and extend its wealth of expertise towards the analysis, modeling, and design of nanostructured devices and systems. This session features authoritative speakers from both the academia and the industry. Their

IMS Special Issue May 2012

topics cover the entire RF spectrum, including carbon-nanotube high-f T graphene transistors and related ambipolar devices, novel graphene-based RF electronics for ubiquitous applications (e.g., graphene-based RFID tags on plastics), carbon-based interconnects and multifunctional and packaged systems, graphene nonreciprocal passive components with huge bandwidths, high-tunability metamaterial-assisted terahertz quantum lasers, and semiconductor and carbon terahertz sensors and imagers.

Advances in Silicon-Based Millimeter-Wave and Terahertz Integrated Circuits and Systems Sponsored by MTT-6 Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Integrated Circuits. Organizers : Diet mar Kissi nger (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg) and Robert Weigel (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg). The advancement of silicon technologies has enabled the low-cost fabrication of fully integrated millimeter-wave transceivers for consumer applications in communication technology and sensor systems. Current research in silicon technology is targeting transition frequencies of 500 GHz that enable the integration of systems with operational frequencies well above 100 GHz, paving the way toward monolithic electronic terahertz solutions. The focus is on recent advancements in millimeterwave and terahertz circuits based on silicon technologies for emerging applications beyond 100 GHz.

Coupled Multiphysics Modeling of High-Power and HighFrequency Electronic Devices Sponsored by MTT-1 Computer-Aided Design. Organizers: Peter H. Aaen (Freescale Semiconductor Inc.) and John Wood (Maxim Integrated Products). As communications systems become more sophisticated, transistors are required to operate at ever-higher frequencies, output powers, and improved linearities. As a result, design methodologies are becoming increasingly complex, and they require new comprehensive modeling strategies,

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which incorporate the interactive coupling between device physics, electromagnetic theory, and thermal diffusion. Traditionally, these multiphysics simulations have been too computationally demanding for widespread applications, but with recent advances in computer hardware and numerical methods these techniques are now becoming feasible. Recent advances will be presented in multiphysics modeling for high-frequency and high-power electronic devices. This session will illustrate the need for multiphysics simulations and will present key developments in this topic.

Microwave Components for Space: Trends and Developments Organizers: Jim Sowers (Space Systems/Loral) and Steve Holme (Space Systems/Loral). The need for commercial satellite services is increasing rapidly. Advanced satellite systems are being introduced to handle applications from communications, to navigation, to weather monitoring. To enable these systems, components need to meet the challenging requirements for satellite systems including electrical efficiency, size, mass, power, and functional integration. Additionally, these advanced systems are demanding flexibility and wideband operation to allow for cost effectiveness both in a manufacturing and payload capacity. These paradigm shifts in system operations require advanced technologies at the component level to achieve their desired performance. This session will present an overview of recent developments in component technologies that will enable the development of modern commercial satellite systems.

Silicon and Indium Phosphide MMICs Achieve New Performance Milestones for Radiometers in Earth Remote Sensing Sponsored by MTT-14 Microwave LowNoise Techniques. Organizers: Steven C. Reising (Colorado State University) and Pekka Kangaslahti (Jet Propulsion Laboratory).

The recent performance leaps in silicon and indium phosphide MMICs open new opportunities for the design of various scientific instruments. This session focuses on the latest developments in millimeter-wave and submillimeter-wave components and subsystems that enable advances in radiometry for Earth remote sensing. These technologies generally improve performance for related applications such as radar remote sensing, radio astronomy, and personnel screening.

Linearizability of GaN from Device, Circuit to System Levels Sponsored by MTT-5 Microwave HighPower Techniques. Organizers: Joe Qiu (U.S. Army Research Laboratory) and Ali Darwish (The American University in Cairo). The gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor is a recent breakthrough in materials technology, which supersedes the performance of traditional technologies. In fact, due to its semiconducting properties, GaN has a wide band gap that enables high-power densities, high operating frequency, large voltage breakdown, and radiation hardness. The low output capacitance of the GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) enables a fast switching speed and high-frequency operation. For these reasons, GaN devices will be the dominant enabling technology in the future for a wide variety of highfrequency systems over other semiconductor technologies such as silicon, gallium arsenide, and indium phosphide. On the other hand, the wide application of GaN power amplifiers has been hindered by several challenges at multiple levels of the GaN technology (device, circuit, and system). This session addresses the major challenges in the wide adoption of GaN-based power amplifiers by discussing the different device, circuit, and system level design considerations for enhancing linearity.

SiGe/CMOS for Phased Array Applications: A World Perspective Sponsored by MTT-16 Microwave Systems. Organizers: Gabriel M. Rebeiz (UCSD) and Mark J. Rosker (Raytheon).


SiGe and CMOS circuits are now being used in most modern phased arrays, either at the back end or in the entire T/R module (including the low noise arrays and power amplifiers). In just a few years, they have revolutionized how phased arrays are built. Currently, every major defense and commercial company in the world has an SiGe/CMOS effort for phased arrays or is starting this effort. This focus session will bring to the MTT community, which is GaAs centric in phased arrays, a world perspective on SiGe/CMOS with speakers from around the world, all of whom are renowned experts.

Tunable Systems: Enabling Future Handset Technologies Organizers: Shirook M. Ali (RIM) and James Warden (RIM). Cellular handsets must meet demands for increasing functionality, particularly roaming capabilities on multiple frequencies. Additional demands arise from the exponentially increasing data usage, bigger display screens, and the need to ensure that performance is not compromised. Current levels of network capacity are simply not sufficient. Operators have responded by spending billions of dollars on infrastructure and a new expensive spectrum. On the other hand, the handset development can address the demands of the new standards, but a shift in thinking is needed regarding the RF front end to avoid high cost, size increase, and power-consumption increase. Tunability enables flexibility and fewer radio components while ensuring that the system is operating at a peak performance. This session addresses advanced tunable technologies applied in multiband handsets with a single antenna system that supports wide frequency diversity (for example, LTE plus GSM/GPRS/EDGE, which comes to 11 bands in seven modes ranging from 704 MHz to 2,690 MHz) and multiband RF chains and impedance matching networks ensuring best usage of battery power.

Tunable Film Bulk Acoustic Wave Resonators Organizers: S. Gevorgian (Chalmers University) and A. Vorobiev (Chalmers University).


Film bulk acoustic wave resonators (FBARs) based on piezoelectric AlN are one of the success stories in recent years. The production yield of these devices may be increased by very tight processing tolerances and post-fabrication adjustment processes. These costly processes may be eliminated if the resonant frequency of the FBAR is tunable. The tunability, in addition, offers extra flexibility especially in applications in agile microwave communication systems. This session addresses different tuning mechanisms and methods that are currently being investigated. Both intrinsic and extrinsic tuning mechanisms will be discussed in this session. The intrinsically tunable FBARs utilize electric field and temperature induced changes in the acoustic parameters of the piezoelectric films. The extrinsically tunable AlN and ZnO FBARs make use of external tuning capacitors and inductors. Tunable resonators based on polar (piezoelectric) and paraelectric phase ferroelectrics will be considered as well.

Advances in RF MEMS Ruggedness and Reliability Sponsored by MTT-21 RF MEMS. Organizers: James C.M. Hwang (Lehigh University) and Harvey Newman (Naval Research Laboratory). This session will include presentations from participants in the recently completed Harsh Environment, Robust Micromechanical Technology (HERMIT) Program, which was funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency from 2002 to 2011. Through the program, significant advances in establishing RF MEMS ruggedness and reliability were made, which will be highlighted and discussed. The speakers will also share important lessons learned through the program and will highlight remaining challenges and potential opportunities for system insertion of RF MEMS. As RF MEMS are on the verge of being deployed in cell phones and defense systems, their ruggedness and reliability becomes increasingly important. This session will give potential users a fair assessment of the technology and its potential in future applications.

Retrospective and Outlook of Microwave CAD Sponsored by MTT-1 Computer-Aided Design and MTT-15 Microwave Field Theory. Organizers: Natalia K. Nikolova (McMaster University) and Q.J. Zhang (Carleton University). This special session pays tribute to Prof. John W. Bandler, on the occasion of his 70th birthday, for more than 45 years of pioneering contributions to the field of microwave theory and techniques, especially the development and application of computer-aided design and optimization methods for microwave design. The invited speakers, while highlighting Dr. Bandler’s major achievements and assessing the impact of his work on the development of microwave modeling, simulation, sensitivity analysis, and optimization, will present an up-to-date overview of computer-aided design, which is of broad interest to all MTT members.

Multiport Technology for Radio and Radar Applications Organizer: Serioja Ovidiu Tatu (INRSEMT). Multiport circuit theory was first developed in the 1970s for the accurate automated measurements of the complex scattering coefficients in microwave networks. Since 1994, multiport techniques were further developed for microwave and millimeter wave radios. Several multiport architectures for specific applications such as communications receivers, automotive radar, or imagery have been developed and implemented. Basically, the multiport is a passive circuit, composed of several couplers, interconnected by transmission lines and phase shifters. The multiport acts as an interferometer. By using appropriate devices connected to output ports, this circuit can provide specific functions such as quadrature down conversion or direct modulation. This session will highlight unconventional multiport technology developed during the past decades and more recently. It will also give the six-port community an opportunity to honor the Emeritus Prof. Renato G. Bosisio, who dedicated a major part of his

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brilliant research carrier developing and promoting this technology.

Special Sessions A Tribute to Rüdiger Vahldieck Sponsored by MTT-8 Filters and Passive Components and MTT-15 Microwave Field Theory. Organizers: Wolfgang J.R. Hoefer (Institute of High Performance Computing, A-Star, Singapore) and Jens Bornemann (University of Victoria). This session is a tribute to the life and work of Prof. Rüdiger Vahldieck, who passed away on 21 March 2011 at age 59. Rüdiger has made seminal and pioneering contributions to microwave theory and techniques throughout the last 30 years of his life, ranging from rigorous computer-aided design of optimized microwave filters to integrated circuit design and manufacturing, microwave communications, field theory, computational electromagnetics, and electromagnetic compatibility. He leaves a rich legacy of scientific discovery, technical innovation, engineering education, and service to the profession. The latter includes his contributions as editor-in-chief of IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters; member of MTT-15; president and chair of numerous international symposia, workshops, and program committees; and chair of the Swiss Joint IEEE MTT, AP, and EMC Societies Chapter. Rüdiger was an active and dedicated member of Technical Committee MTT-15 (Microwave Field Theory) for more than 20 years, and it is this committee that is the main sponsor and organizer of this session. This tribute will feature nine invited speakers— former students, colleagues, associates, and friends of Rüdiger—who will not only report on new research of their own but also illuminate how Rüdiger’s work has influenced their own perspectives and the evolution of microwave theory and techniques.

The Evolution of Some Key Active and Passive Microwave Components Sponsored by MTT-8 Filters and Passive Components, MTT-12 Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Packaging and

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Manufacturing, MTT-13 Microwave Ferrites and Ferroelectrics, MTT-14 Microwave Low-Noise Techniques, MTT-16 Microwave Systems, and MTT20 Wireless Communications. Organizer: Lawrence R. Whicker (LRW Associates): This session will review some key active and passive microwave component developments from the past 60 years. It will feature the following contributions from renowned experts of the Society: • R.V. Snyder will review developments in the active and passive filter field. He will describe early analytical work and how the design theory has been applied to past and present filter realization. • L.R. Whicker will describe some early work at The Sperry Microwave-Electronics Co. and the development of ferrite control components. This is followed by the development of nonreciprocal and reciprocal phase shifters. • R.B. True will discuss the evolution and importance of vacuum electron devices for applications requiring high levels of microwave or millimeter wave power. The talk will include progress in MPMs and MMPMs that are vital building blocks in many modern systems. • E. Niehenke will describe the evolution of low noise devices and amplifiers. • K. Varian will describe the development of microwave power amplifiers for use in active array modules. The talk will cover applications from early amplifiers that used frequency multipliers to get to X-band frequencies, all the way to modern devices that are the power source for active array modules. • N. Kolias will trace the development of T/R modules and will point out the importance of active arrays in modern applications.

A Retrospective of Field Theory in Microwave Engineering Sponsored by MTT-15 Microwave Field Theory.

Organizers: Poman So (University of Victoria) and Zhizhang Chen (Dalhousie University). This session presents a retrospective of the electromagnetic field theory that is at the foundation of microwave engineering. The session begins with a tribute to J.C. Maxwell, followed by a talk on advanced engineering electromagnetics, and then three field theory talks on microwave engineering, wireless communications, and metamaterials. Since there will be no shortage of in-depth technical sessions at IMS2012, this session will present the field theory subjects in a story-telling fashion to deliver the history and significance that shaped the advancement of microwave engineering in the last 60 years. We owe the organization of this session to the sponsorship of the Technical Committee MTT-15 (Microwave Field Theory) and the effort of its members, in particular, Prof. Poman So.

Globalization of Engineering Education and Research: Opportunities and Challenges Organizers: Magdy F. Iskander (University of Hawaii) and Samir El-Ghazaly (University of Arkansas). As the world continues to flatten and the global marketplace relies more heavily on the brain and economic powers of people from across the globe, engineering education and research enterprises are rapidly changing, with a focus on educating engineers as global citizens. In this session, papers reviewing innovation, transformation, and globalization of engineering education over the past 60 years will be presented with a focus on the opportunities and challenges presented by the globalization trend. This session will start with an overview presentation on innovation and transformational trends in microwave education, followed by papers describing rationale for developing global competence, preparing engineers for the global workforce, conducting research in global society and understanding and comparing education and training systems and their relationship to economic performance and national security issues.
