Project Summary

Multiband systems (electronic systems that use more than one portions of the electromagnetic spectrum at the same time, for their operation) are in use today in a large number of commercial, scientific and military applications. Such applications include satellite communications, radiometers, scatterometers, and radar for commercial, scientific and military end- users. In these applications, the use of multiple frequencies enables the simultaneous access to bandwidths or gathering of additional data sets for the analysis of natural or man-made targets. Other applications are in mobile telephony, wi-fi and GPS for commercial applications where the combined functionality is needed in the next generation of handheld devices. Currently, the multiband capability is achieved by using subsystem blocks, each designed to operate at a single frequency band. Thus in a multiband system, there is redundant hardware that increases the cost, weight and complexity of such systems. The main objective of this project is the design, development and fabrication of passive quad-band components using metamaterial technology which can ultimately be used in a multiband system. Another goal is to establish a design methodology for the realization of quad-band devices which is essential to the spread of this technology as well as a way to build fully printed metamaterial unit cells. We have proposed the design of a branch-line coupler which forms an integral part of other subsystem blocks such as mixers, amplifiers and phase shifters. A quad-band antenna is also proposed that will serve as the interface between the received electromagnetic wave and the quad-band system. These parts will then be integrated to form an RF system chain and an analysis of the performance of the fabricated RF chain will follow. During the course of this project, some of the goals have already been achieved, while work will begin to accomplish the rests shortly. In short, the design methodology for the realization of the unit cells has been developed and unit cells using this theory have been designed, which will form the building blocks for the devices that will be constructed subsequently. The work on the mixer, the antenna and the integration will be completed during the next half of the project. We anticipate that the resulting work will prove that true multiband systems are achievable using metamaterial technology and our estimation is that hardware savings will result which can be translated into cost savings through size and complexity reduction. It is expected that dissemination of the findings will primarily be done through publications in well respected journals and through participation in major conferences in the field. The project is on course to meet future deliverables, and no problems with progress have been encountered so far.

 

Project Partners

This project has assembled a strong consortium of partners from Cyprus, Spain and Canada with wide and varied expertise in the field of metamaterials.

CONSORTIUM
PARTNER NAME	LOGO	COUNTRY
University of Cyprus		Cyprus
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona		Spain
University of Toronto		Canada

 

Project Innovation

The proposed research project has included a number of novel aspects.

• It is the first time that quad-band microwave devices using metamaterial technology will be designed utilizing a comprehensive filter/ network theory for the full customization of the passbands and their bandwidths. It is also the first time that such devices will be fully printed. Each block making up the system will have to be designed and developed separately and demonstrate that it can work together as a whole when placed in a system.
• Furthermore, it is expected that new insight into the mechanisms of metamaterials will be obtained through the utilization of electromagnetic modeling for the characterization of the quad-band microwave devices that will result. Another major contribution lies with the development of a true quad band antenna. Such a feat has never been attempted before. The innovation of this method lies in the fact that metamaterials enable antenna miniaturization and inherent multiband operation by exploiting their left-handed characteristics.
• A project of such scope and scale will be carried out for the first time in Cyprus. This work will allow the development of metamaterial devices that thus far are only being developed in select few institutions around the world. The innovation of the project is not merely the individual metamaterial device developments, which inherently result in size reduction but also the development of appropriate theoretical expressions which will prove that metamaterial technology can robustly be applied in wireless applications with the benefit of hardware and complexity reduction. This has never been attempted before.
• The transfer of knowledge from the Participating Organizations (PA1 & PA2) which are leading in the area of metamaterials, is considered a value added element in this proposal that guarantees its success. There already have been very encouraging results from the metamaterials that were developed at the Host Organization and with the guidance of the Participating Organizations it is expected that the state of knowledge on metamaterial devices will advance further and allow the spread of the technology to the academia as well as the industry.
• Our results and hardware that will be produced from this work can possibly be exploited by other research institutions at an international level. These new architecture will cost less while performing as well or better than current systems in use today. Additionally, our novel technology can be used by giants of commercial wireless technologies such as Nokia, Ericsson and Samsung. Moreover, satellite manufacturing companies and organizations can exploit our technology for space-based and defense applications.

 

Project Activities

The activities within the project were broken down into eight work packages as follows:


WP1	Project Management	1) Define work distribution between all participants. 2) Assign milestones and define schedules for the project implementation and completion. 3) Define reporting procedure. 4) Plan and control all aspects of the project to achieve its objectives on-time and within budget.
WP2	Dissemination and Exploitation of Results	1) Promote dissemination of project results in the relevant international forums. 2) Encourage exploitation of results. 3) Maximize the visibility of the HO to the scientific community, industry and potential end users.
WP3	Theory Development	1) Develop the necessary theory for the customization of the passband location and width 2) Formulate appropriate dispersion relations for the unit cells and create MATLAB code capable of computing unit cell lumped elements based on the dispersion relation. 3) Verify operation of the unit cells at the design frequencies based on the generated MATLAB results. 4) Create unit cell microwave circuit models for each type of unit cell.
WP4	Development of fully printed and lumped element quad band unit cells	1) Develop full wave EM simulations for the quad band unit cells required. 2) Unit Cells’ layout and assembly. 3) Fabricate the metamaterial unit cells. 4) Test and tune the fabricated devices.
WP5	Quad-Band Branch-Line coupler development	1) Develop a simulation for the quad band branch-line coupler 2) Design the branch-line coupler layout and assembly. 3) Fabricate the metamaterial coupler. 4) Test and tune the fabricated device.
WP6	Quad-band mixer development	1) Develop a microwave simulation for the quad band mixer. 2) Design the mixer layout and assembly. 3) Fabricate the metamaterial mixer. 4) Test and tune the fabricated mixer.
WP7	Quad-band antenna development	1) Use full-wave simulator to model the quad band antenna. 2) Design the antenna layout and antenna construction. 3) Test and tune the fabricated antenna.
WP8	Integration and Analysis	1) Integrate the individual RF blocks into an RF chain. 2) Test the chain and compare to initial specifications. 3) Analyze results and show hardware savings.

 

For more information on the results obtained through the course of this project, please click on the following links [pdf files]:

D1(a)	1st Bi-annual Report
D1(b)	2nd Bi-annual report
D2	Interim Report
D7	Report for Deliverable 7
D12	Report for Deliverable 12
D15	Report for Deliverable 15