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The scope of this project is the development of Electromagnetic simulation and design tools for digitally controlled and multifunctioning RF-microwave stages and subunits which will retain characteristics-specification supporting “Software Defined (SDR) and cognitive Radios (CR)”, while they will be capable of a conformal incorporation to the hosting platforms. Regarding the RF-Microwave front ends, the SDR and CR technologies are based on two pylons-trends: “Miniaturization” and “Digitally Controlled Multifunctioning”. The miniaturization trend can be best serviced through the integration of the RF-microwave front-end submit on a single Chip (SOC, System On Chip) or at least integration on the same package (SIP, System In Package). The SIP task demands exactly the conformal attachment of the rf-front end stages including the antenna (or an antenna array) on the surface of the hosting platform or the device package. Besides that in order to ensure multifunctioning rf-microwave devices, solid state components should be embedded in them, or these must be developed on multilayer substrates comprised of electrically tunable media such as ferrite, ferroelectric or multiferroic films. These films satisfy both miniaturization and multifunctioning trends.
Overall, the software tools to be developed aims at both the analysis and design of rf-microwave devices, antennas and arrays which will be fabricated as complicated three dimensional curved geometries being either closed- or open radiating.
These structures involve thin or thick film metallic conductors and are partially loaded by inhomogeneous or anisotropic media. In particular the air-interface (antenna and required control elements) are open, hence their behaviour is substantially affected by the surrounding objects, which must be accounted for. Thus, the solution domain for the electromagnetic analysis is electrically very large (multiple wavelengths). Besides these research challenges the ultimate task refers to the incorporation or appropriately formulated periodic structures, which are expected to provide significant improvement in the rf-microwave stages characteristics through their capability of introducing an electromagnetic bandgap.