Research areas

3D printing or additive manufacturing is now commonplace and simple printers can be purchased for several hundred pounds. We focus on how 3D printed components can be used in microwave circuits to make new, novel microwave circuits. We collaborate on the manufacturing process and post printing processes to improve the microwave performance. We have demonstrated high performance devices from 0.5 GHz to above 300 GHz.

 

Capabilities:

• Fixed beam Antennas for SatCom (Wideband dual-pol array, low profile/light, multiband)
• Phased array Antennas for SatCom (Low cost, wide scanning)
• 5G backhaul applications (Low sidelobe, ETSI Class 2,3,4 compliant)
• Components (Antennas, OMTs, couplers, Filters)

 

Liquid metal is a weird and wonderful conductor material that can be controlled to alter the shape and position of microwave devices or to make flexible electronics and sensors. We have utilised microfluidic techniques to harness and actuate liquid metals and demonstrated new capability of reconfiguring or even programming microwave and mm-wave circuits and antennas. 

 

Terahertz radiation is electromagnetic radiation with a frequency above the radio frequency (RF) and microwave region and extending towards the optical range. It is an area of the electromagnetic spectrum which is under-used at the moment due to the difficulties in producing practical components and systems. However, it is widely understood that terahertz will be important in the future for many applications. Our research focuses on the design and testing of terahertz circuits.

Our thin-film power sensors are filling a capability gap in sub-THz power metrology in Europe and have been commercially used.   

 

The microwave industry is dependent upon passive circuits such as filters, multiplexers, antennas and many other components. We work to develop new types of passive circuits primarily based on the coupling of resonators. We have pioneered the development of new topological structures and advanced synthesis methods for complex multi-port filtering networks. Some examples can be found below. The same principles can also be applied to non-electromagnetic resonators, for example, acoustic or even mechanical resonators and filters.

 

Integrated filtering antennas

Filter-active-circuit co-design

Air-filled transmission line and waveguide technology is a desirable choice for mm-wave and terahertz devices, mainly due to its low loss characteristics. The conventional way of making waveguide components is CNC milling. However, with the increase in the frequency it becomes more and more challenging to machine the small features and sometimes it is impossible to achieve complicated internal structures. We have employed various high-precision micromachining and microfabrication techniques for such purposes.  Among them are the silicon deep reactive ion etching (Si-DRIE), the thick SU8 photoresist micromachining (a low-cost process), the fs-laser micro processing, the high-precision 3D printing alongside the ultra-precision CNC milling. We have constructed waveguides up to 700 GHz, creating a waveguide structure as small as 380 by 191 microns.

Exploring new and advanced manufacturing techniques is a main research theme of the EDT group. We have worked extensively with material scientists and manufacturing process developers on a range of R&D projects.