Microwave Laboratory

The Microwave Laboratory is being developed to support teaching, research, and development on high frequency and microvave systems, integrated circuits, and devices.

Contact Tom Weldon for further information.

We have excellent infrastructure and capabilities including:

  • Design and Fabrication Capabilities
  • Integrated circuit fabrication through www.mosis.com
  • AMI 0.5 micron CMOS and TSMC 0.18 micron process
  • Cadence design tools
  • Mentor Graphics design tools
  • Agilent ADS design tools

  • Test Facilities
  • Shielded room (screen room)
  • Cascade Microtek RF1 40 GHz integrated circuit probestation
  • Spectrum analyzers to 18 GHz
  • Vector Network Analyzer to 6 GHz
  • Vector signal generation to 6 GHz
  • CW signal generation to 18 GHz
  • Noise figure measurement to 18 GHz
  • 6 GHz sampling oscilloscope
  • ECE department cleanroom facilities (wirebonder, etc.)

    • Join us!

    We are interested in strengthening our ties with industrial partners. If your company has considered the development of RF and microwave wireless circuits and systems, find out how you can take advantage of of collaboration with the university. Take advantage of the talent and infrastructure in-place at the university, and help us develop a pool of talented students with experience relevant to your organization.

    Quick tour of the lab

    RF/Microwave design software

    Cascade Microtech RF-1 40 GHz probestation capable of 40 GHz measurements directly on integrated circuits.

    6 GHz network analyzer

    6 GHz oscilloscope

    Spectrum Analysis to 18 GHz

    Vector signal generation to 6 GHz

    A test area in the lab.

    Office area

    More office areas

    More Microwave Lab Equipment ( 2-18 GHz spectrum analyzer, generator, 18 GHz Network Analyzer)
    5 GHz amplifier measured gain plot using MOSIS TSMC 0.18 micron process, and picture of amplifier.

    How to design a Spiral inductor
    and a Mathcad file on spiral inductor design
    and pdf printout of Mathcad file on spiral inductor design
    and measured data AMI 1.5 micron process

    Also: see our capability in analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits.

    Prototype circuits (We also fabricate chips)

  • A microwave test board ( IC chips wire-bonded to chip carrier in center)

  • 2-4 GHz return loss data on test fixture (using VERY long wirebonds!)
    For such high frequencies, it is better to use the RF1 probestation above to probe directly on the chip with 40 GHz bandwidth (no wirebonds!).

  • Plots of return loss and transmission loss, superimposed

  • Photo of wirebonder (In our cleanroom)

    • Please do not use the wirebonder in the cleanroom without first reading through the following instructions. (For whatever reason, the pdf file does not render properly on non-microsoftish systems ... images are truncated)

    Wire Bonder instructions.