RF and Microwave Engineering: Fundamentals of Wireless Communications

1.4 Outline of the Following Chapters

The last two examples have given us some insight into the fact that problems involving RF cannot simply be treated with conventional methods, but need a toolset adjusted to the characteristics of RF technology. Chapters 2 to 8 therefore give an in-depth insight into how best to solve RF-problems and show the methods we commonly apply.

First, the principles of electromagnetic field theory and wave propagation are reviewed in Chapter 2, in order to understand the mechanisms of passive high-frequency circuits and antennas. The mathematical formulas used in this chapter mainly serve the purpose of illustrating mathematical derivations and are not intended for further calculations. Nowadays, in work practice, modern RF circuit and field simulation software packages provide approximate solutions based on the above mentioned theories. Nonetheless, an engineer needs to understand these mathematical foundations in order to evaluate such given solutions of different commercial software products with respect to their plausibility and accuracy.

Transmission lines are a major and important component in RF circuits. The simple structure of a transmission line may be used in a variety of very different applications. Chapter 3 will therefore deal with the detailed relationships of voltage and current waves on transmission lines. Calculations in this context can be easily followed and form a safe foundation for treating the ever-occurring issue of transmission ...