A company called SkyCross has come up with a novel approach to acheive antenna diversity within a small physical area. SkyCross’s Isolated Mode Antenna Technology (IMAT) uses a single antenna with multiple feeds to acheive diversity. One area where antenna diversity is required is Mulitple Input Mulitple Output (MIMO) systems such as high throughput wireless devices. Before SkyCross annouced their IMAT technology, companies that develop MIMO antenna front-ends for portable electronics have been trying to fit 2 antennas into a small of a space as possible. However, by trying to place two antennas close to each other, undesired mutual coupling will occur and antenna efficiency will also suffer with the reduced antenna size.

SkyCross’s IMAT approach to acheive diversity uses just a SINGLE antenna. By feeding the antenna at two different locations, two different modes are excited, which are independent of each other. Each mode produces a separate, different radiation pattern thus acheiving diversity with high efficiency. This is such a simple solution, but one that will revolutionize

(4 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5)

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One of the best educational videos I have ever seen is “The Mechanical Universe.” This 52 part video series covers the three undergraduate physics classes: mechanics, electricity & magnetism, and a little of quantum mechanics. Best of all, these videos are free to view here; you have to register to see the videos. The videos were produced by California Institute of Technology and Intelecom in 1985. Yes, these are old videos, but give them a try especially parts 27 to 40 which covers electricity & magnetism really well. Complex concepts are explained using computer animations and physical demonstrations. I first saw these videos in high school and recently came across them again browsing the internet. I was overcome with nostalgia when I came across these videos. I recommend anyone interested in reviewing the basics of electromagnetics to view the related videos.

(11 votes, average: 4.45 out of 5)

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I recently found out that IEEE now offers online short courses on variety of subjects ranging from Aerospace to Robotics. In particular, they offer several online courses on Communications and Mirowave Theory & Techniques. One course that I highly recommend is “Basics of RF Power Amplifier (PA) Design,” by Steve C. Cripps for those who are interested in getting into active RF components. The PA is the most expensive part of a communication system, so demand for microwave engineers with background or knowledge of PAs is very high. In addition, Dr. Cripps has authored two highly regarded books on PA design (RF Power Amplifiers for Wireless Communications and

(10 votes, average: 4.4 out of 5)

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I recently heard about a new product that Microsoft has been developing called Photosynth. Basically, it takes a collection of photos of a object or place, analyzes them for similarities, and displays them in a reconstructed three-dimensional space. It is just amazing what computer programmers are able to do.  Take a look at the video and see for yourself.

(5 votes, average: 4.8 out of 5)

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In my opinion, the Antenna Theory two volume set edited by Robert E. Collin and Francis J. Zucker are the best books on the subject written so far. Only problem is that these two books are very hard to find even at college/university libraries. Part I of the volume is actually quite easy to find on eBay or on Amazon (from private sellers) and goes for around $200.00. Basic antenna theory is covered in Part I. Part II is the harder of the two to find and Part II covers in great detail exotic antenna topics such as surface wave antennas, leaky wave antennas, and microwave lenses. I have not seen Part II being offered online so far. I was lucky enough to find both books and now they are a part of my extensive microwave engineering book collection.

(11 votes, average: 4.64 out of 5)

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The 2007 International Microwave Symposium (IMS) orgainized by the IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S) was held in Honolulu, Hawaii. The conference was a six day event (June 3rd - June 8th) which included workshops, presentations, poster sessions, award banquets, and various exhibits.

(8 votes, average: 4.63 out of 5)

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The newest version of Ansoft HFSS v11 was officially released today at the 2007 IMS conference held in Honolulu Hawaii. The new version of HFSS provides better accuracy and performance than previous versions according to Ansoft. Some of the new features in HFSS v11 are

• Ability to simulate larger structures (multipe wavelengths) in a more efficient manner.
• Revised port solver which can simulate lower frequencies and has a lower noise floor.
• Genetic algorithm optimization as part of Optimetrics.

For all the newest features of Ansoft HFSS v11, please visit the HFSS website at http://ansoft.com/products/hf/hfss/.

“The new technology in HFSS v11 allows our customers to perform massive simulations of structures that were simply too large to solve previously,” said Dr. Zoltan Cendes, Ansoft’s chairman and chief technology officer. “Designers of high-frequency and high-speed components now have the ability to explore electromagnetic performance over a range of dimensions, orientations, material parameters and frequencies and hence to gain design insights that were not possible before.”

Ansoft is a leading developer of high-performance electronic design automation (EDA) software. Engineers use Ansoft software to design state-of-the-art electronic products, such as cellular phones, Internet-access devices, broadband networking components and systems, integrated circuits (ICs), printed circuit boards (PCBs), automotive electronic systems and power electronics. Ansoft markets its products worldwide through its own direct sales force and has comprehensive customer-support and training offices throughout North America, Asia and Europe. For more information, please visit http://www.ansoft.com.

HFSS v11 is available on the following operating systems: Microsoft Windows XP Professional; Windows XP x64 Edition; Windows Server 2003; Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition; Red Hat Enterprise Linux v3 and v4; and Solaris 8, 9 and 10.

(4 votes, average: 4.5 out of 5)

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The one book any microwave engineer should have on their desk is Microwave Engineering by David M. Pozar. This book has it all from basic electromagnetic theory, transmission lines, S-parameters, passive and active microwave components to microwave systems. This is the number #1 microwave engineering book in my opinion.

(6 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)

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