EE 523 – Microwave Circuit Design
Spring 2016
Instructor: John C. Young
Office: 687C Anderson Tower -> 697 FPAT
Phone: 257-3077
Office Hours: MW 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Meeting time: MWF 1:00 – 1:50 pm
Location: FPAT 267
Email: john.c.young@uky.edu
Web: http://www.engr.uky.edu/~jyoung/classes/EE523
Course Summary
This course provides a physical and mathematical description of wave propagation in guided structures
such as waveguides and transmission lines. In addition, network theory for two-port and N-port networks
is introduced with emphasis on scattering parameters and flow diagrams. Passive microwave circuit
devices such as couplers, hybrids, power dividers and combiners, matching networks, and filters will be
studied. Solid state microwave oscillators and amplifies are also introduced.
Course Goals:
1. To understand transmission lines, microstrip lines, and network theory
2. To understand matching networks consisting of lumped and printed circuit components
3. To provide knowledge of practical design of hybrids, couplers, and dividers
4. To be aware of basic passive microwave circuit device measurement methods
5. To be aware of various microwave circuit design CAD tools.
Student Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, you should be able to:
1. Understand transmission line analysis and network theory.
2. Understand matching network design using lumped parameters or printed microstrip or strip-lines.
3. Design matching networks, power dividers, couplers & hybrids using printed microstrip or strip-lines.
4. Design microwave amplifiers, matching networks, and DC-Bias networks.
5. Design microwave oscillators.
6. Apply commercial microwave circuit design Computer Aided-Design tools.
Office Hours
Students are encouraged to visit during scheduled office hours or email the instructor when questions
arise. You are welcome to visit outside of office hours, but please contact me first to make sure I am
available.
Textbook
Required: Microwave Engineering, 4th Ed., David M. Pozar, 2011, Wiley, ISBN: 978-0470631553
Text will supplement notes distributed by the instructor.
Optional: Foundations for Microwave Engineering, 2nd Ed., Robert E. Collin, 2001, Wiley.
Other Required Materials:
This course will require a microwave design project. Appropriate software for this design project will be
discussed, and the instructor will provide information about how to obtain and use this software in class.
Exams and Assignments:
Exams: There will be two in-class examinations.
Final Exam: Wednesday, Tuesday May 3, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm. FPAT 267. It will be cumulative.
Homework: Homework will be assigned based on lectures and readings. Due dates and times will be
given when the homework is assigned. All assignments are due at the given date and time. You will be
allowed one late assignment, which will be due at the start of the following class period. Otherwise,
homework will be penalized an additional 25% for each successive class period it is late. In other words,
is you turn the HW in by the next class period than maximum points would be 75. If you turn the HW in
by the second class period than maximum points would be 50. Some homework may require computer
simulation using mathematical software or a high-level programming language. It is the student’s
responsibility to obtain appropriate software to perform the homework. Graphical results are expected to
be computer generated.
Projects: Two projects will be assigned during the semester. One project will be to design a specified
microwave circuit using an appropriate microwave CAD software design tool. CAD software will be
discussed in class as well as how to acquire the software. The second project will be on the use of a vector
network analyzer to measure a microwave circuit. The circuit will be provided and the use of the network
analyzer will be discussed in class.
Late projects will be penalized 20% per-day that the project is late. Projects must be done individually.
Students may consult with colleagues regarding their projects, however, the work, design, and reports
must be their own work. Do not share designs with each other.
Extra Credit: Extra credit will not be given.
Graduate Students: Graduate students will be assigned additional homework and a more challenging
design projects.
Grading Scheme:
The final grade percentage will be based on the following rubric:
% of Final Grade
Exams
30%
Homework
20%
Projects
30%
Final Exam
20%
Course Grade:
The final letter grade for the course will be calculated according to the table below. There will be no
curving of grades.
Final Grade
Letter Grade
90% – 100%
A
80% – 89%
B
70% –79%
C
60% – 69%
D
< 60%
E
Attendance:
Attendance will be taken and students are highly encouraged to attend and be on-time for class. Any
assignment due during an unexcused absence is still due at the given time and all late penalties will apply.
As participating in lectures is critical to understanding the material, (S.R. 5.2.4.1 & 5.2.4.2) students with
excused absences that exceed one-fifth the total class contact hours may be asked to petition to withdraw
from the class and students with unexcused absences that exceed one-fifth the total class contact hours
may receive a grade of E. As per UK’s policy on excused absences can be found in Student Rights and
Responsibilities, Part II, Section 5.2.4.2:
http://www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/Code/part2.html
Acceptable reasons for excused absences include: Serious illness of student or immediate family member,
death of a household member or immediate family, university-related trips, and major religious holidays.
If a student must be absent for one of these reasons, the student should notify the instructor as
soon as possible, but no later than the second absence. Appropriate documentation regarding the
nature of the absence will be required. Students anticipating an absence for a major religious holiday are
responsible for notifying the instructor in writing at least one week in advance of an anticipated absence.
See http://www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/Code/ for additional information.
Make-Up Opportunities:
When there is an excused absence with appropriate documentation, students will be given the opportunity
to make up missed work without penalty within one week of the excused absence. Assignments missed
due to unexcused absences will be graded according to the late policies outlined above.
Academic Accommodations:
If you have a documented disability that requires academic accommodations, please see me as soon as
possible. In order to receive accommodations in this course, you must provide me with a Letter of
Accommodation from the Disability Resource Center (Room 2, Alumni Gym, 257-2754,
jkarnes@uky.edu) for coordination of campus disability services available to students with disabilities.
We can then collaborate on the best solution.
Academic Integrity, Cheating and Plagiarism:
Cheating is claiming another individual’s work as your own or permitting another person to claim your
work. Plagiarism is claiming another person’s work, writing, or ideas as your own. This includes material
from the internet or other digital sources. For more information on plagiarism, see
http://www.uky.edu/Ombud/Plagiarism.pdf
Students are encouraged to discuss the material in this course, including homework problems, with other
students. But you cannot simply copy another student’s homework and hand it in. Working together is
important, and it is encouraged. Copying, however, is cheating and both the student who copies and the
student who provides the solution will be punished. Students are encouraged to review their Rights and
Responsibilities, Part II, Section 6.3 (http://www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/Code/part2.html) for UK’s
policy on academic integrity.
Classroom Behavior, Decorum and Civility:
Please be respectful to others in the class and engage in civil discourse when we discuss topics that have a
diversity of perspectives. Please minimize distractions by not reading newspapers, carrying on
conversations, surfing the web, loud typing, etc. Turn mobile phones off during class. Thank you.
Tentative Course Schedule (Subject to Change):
~# of Lectures
1
5
3
7
3
2
5
7
5
2
1
1
2
Text
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Topic
Introduction, Maxwell’s Equations
Transmission Line Theory
Transmission Lines & Waveguides
Microwave Network Analysis
Impedance Matching & Tuning
Microwave Resonators
Power Dividers and Couplers
Microwave Filters
Microwave Amplifiers
Oscillators
CAD Software
Vector Network Analyzer
Exams
Actual Course Schedule:
Week
1
1
2
2
2
3
3
3
4
4
4
5
5
5
6
6
6
7
7
7
8
8
8
9 (MT)
9
9
10
10
10
11
11
11
12
12
12
13
13
13
14
14
14
15
15
15
16
Lecture #
1
2
No Class
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
Final
Date
1/13
1/15
1/18
1/20
1/22
1/25
1/27
1/29
2/1
2/3
2/5
2/8
2/10
2/12
2/15
2/17
2/19
2/22
2/24
2/26
2/29
3/2
3/4
3/7
3/9
3/11
3/21
3/23
3/25
3/28
3/30
4/1
4/4
4/6
4/8
4/11
4/13
4/15
4/18
4/20
4/22
4/25
4/27
4/29
5/3
Reading
Topic
Final Exam, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm