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 RF Engineering

 RF Engineering

ELEC5403 RF Engineering


This unit of study builds upon earlier work and provides an introduction to radio frequency components and systems used in wireless and satellite communications as well as in other high frequency applications. It assumes some knowledge of: basic circuit analysis; semiconductor device models and behaviour; transistor operation as switches and amplifiers; transistor operation as current sources and current mirrors; differential amplifiers.


The following topics are covered: RF circuit element models, high-frequency effects and biasing in active devices, transmission lines and the Smith Chart, RF system characteristics, RF amplifiers, oscillators, mixers, power amplifiers, microwave measurements.


Week 1           Introduction - the challenge of working at Radio Frequencies.

Week 2           Transmission Line Theory and introduction to 'Smith' charts.

Week 3           Detailed Smith chart development. Introduction to impedance matching. The "PUFF" computer program.

Week 4           More on stub matching. Two stub 'tuners'. Quarter Wave matching. 'High - Low' matching. The effect of                         a mismatched source. Two port parameters. The development of "S" parameters.

Week 5           Review of transistor amplifiers and bias configurations. The biassing of transistors at RF frequencies.                         Introduction to RF transistor design.

Week 6           The use of "S" parameters to assess circuit stability. Applying feedback to two ports. Introduction to                         'Flow' graphs and their application.

Week 7           Developing the performance of RF transistor amplifiers.

Week 8           The design of a complete RF receiver. Introduction/review of filter design.

Week 9           RF filter design.

Week 10         Coupled line filters. Directional couplers.

Week 11         Introduction to RF oscillator design.

Week 12         The complete development of a practical RF oscillator.

Week 13         Course review/Revision. Specific query responses.


Assessment Due: Log Book


Study Break   Detailed feedback responses are provided on the web page to specific problem queries up until the                         night before the examination.

Exam Period   The students are permitted to take their practical laboratory notebook in to the examination and are                         required to submit it for assessment at the conclusion of the examination.


Assessment Due: Final Exam