RF and Microwave Engineering: Fundamentals of Wireless Communications

Preface

This textbook aims to provide students with a fundamental and practical understanding of the basic principles of radio frequency and microwave engineering as well as with physical aspects of wireless communications.

In recent years, wireless technology has become increasingly common, especially in the fields of communication (e.g. data networks, mobile telephony), identification (RFID), navigation (GPS) and detection (radar). Ever since, radio applications have been using comparatively high carrier frequencies, which enable better use of the electromagnetic spectrum and allow the design of much more efficient antennas. Based on low-cost manufacturing processes and modern computer aided design tools, new areas of application will enable the use of higher bandwidths in the future.

If we look at circuit technology today, we can see that high-speed digital circuits with their high data rates reach the radio frequency range. Consequently, digital circuit designers face new design challenges: transmission lines need a more refined treatment, parasitic coupling between adjacent components becomes more apparent, resonant structures show unintentional electromagnetic radiation and distributed structures may offer advantages over classical lumped elements. Digital technology will therefore move closer to RF concepts like transmission line theory and electromagnetic field-based design approaches.

Today we can see the use of various radio applications and high-data-rate communication ...