RF/Antenna

Projects
Electrical Engineering Department
College of Engineering
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Dean Arakaki
Sept 2013

http://www.ee.calpoly.edu/facilities/anechoic/ 1
 Topics
• Anechoic & EMC Chamber Projects
– Chamber development
– Current chamber room facilities and
equipment
– Completed student & company projects
• Current and Future Projects

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 EE Dept Anechoic Chamber
• Anechoic chamber, past support
– Deskin Research Corp: Jan 2003
• 150 pieces, 48”-height wedge absorbers
• 7 pairs, standard gain horns, Narda
– Raytheon: July 2003
• Absorber foam: 130 pieces 48”-height pyramid
absorbers and 100 corner block pieces
• Azimuthal positioner and associated recording equipment
– EE Dept, Cal Poly: Sept 2003
• 30 pieces (24”-height) and 20 pieces (12”-height) pyramid absorber
– Cal Poly Summer Services and Fall Grant Programs, 2003
• Student labor
– JPL: consulting services: 2003
http://www.ee.calpoly.edu/facilities/anechoic/ 3
EE Dept RF Chambers

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EE Dept RF Chambers

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 Anechoic Chamber
Chamber rooms &
offices: Sept 2013
Facilities/Equipment

Aero Hangar, Building 04 6

Rooms 112, 113, 206
 RF Chamber Projects
• Completed Projects
– Absorber foam characterization
– Chamber performance analysis
• Primary reflection paths into quiet zone
– LabView program development:
Synchronize positioner with network analyzer
• Original (SA) and Sunol Sciences Positioner
– Antenna measurements course
– EMC screen room: conducted and radiated
emissions measurement capability, May 2008
– Aperture-coupled antenna design techniques
Papers presented at Antenna Measurements & Techniques Association
(AMTA) and Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Conferences: http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/ (search “Dean Arakaki”)

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 RF Chamber Projects

• Other past projects

– Antenna/Electromagnetic simulator (FDTD)
– Microstrip antenna design and test
• Enhancement for wideband operation
• Simulation, fabrication, and test in anechoic chamber
– Metamaterials
• Metamaterial simulation and design
– EMC radiated emissions chamber design and
construction
– IEEE Antenna Design Contest, 1st Annual
Toronto, Ontario, Canada: July 2010
http://ceng.calpoly.edu/news/cal-poly-one-three-finalists-international-antenna/

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 RF Chamber Projects
• Company Sponsored Projects
– Randtron Antenna Systems (Menlo Park, CA): 2005
• Long-range radar transmission line, jet exhaust cooled
• Air coax dielectric center conductor support design
– WaveZero (Sunnyvale, CA): Summer 2007
• Read range patterns for WaveZero-developed RFID tags
• TX/RX patch antenna development, software control of positioner
and RFID tag reader
– St. Jude Medical (Sylmar, CA): Summer/Fall 2009
• Antenna design, wireless communications with IMD (implantable
medical device)
– Enerpro (Goleta, CA): December 2009
• Installed three-phase power in EMC chamber
• Tested locomotive supply for EM radiated susceptibility
http://www.ee.calpoly.edu/projects/electromagnetic-compatibility-emc-testing-enerpro-/
– Aeromech (San Luis Obispo, CA): April 2010
• Radiation patterns for two antenna types (blade and swept
dipole designs) for UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) systems
http://www.ee.calpoly.edu/news/aeromech-uav-antenna-testing-cal-poly-anechoic-cha/
– Stellar Exploration (April 2011 & December 2011)
• Radiation patterns and S-parameter testing on Silver Sword Antenna Project
– Sounding rocket for interceptor missile test
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http://www.ee.calpoly.edu/news/stellar-exploration-antenna-testing-cal-poly-anech/
 RF Chamber Projects
hemocytometer

• Current Projects
– Boeing, Biofuel Extraction from Algae
• Multi-disciplinary: Biology, Food Science
• Culturing high-lipid content algae species
– Chlamydomonas, chlorella, dunaliella

• Boeing Biofuel
Project Group
• Chlorella
culture
• Dunaliella on
microscope
slide
• Microscope
viewing station 10
 RF Chamber Projects
• Current Projects
– Boeing, Biofuel Extraction from Algae
• Algae chamber development, electrodes on
microscope slides
• Algae lysis with sonicator, pulsed
electric field
• Pulsed high-voltage power supply
development
Pulsed electric field (PEF) test station
• Pulse control circuit, capacitor bank
• Digital oscilloscope
• Built-in function generator
• Multimeter
• Power supply 11
 RF Chamber Projects
• Current Projects
– RF Absorber from Corn Stover
• Multi-disciplinary: Materials Science,
Industrial Technology, Forestry, ABI
• Corn stover grinding (Forestry)
• Plastics Lab hot press, RF absorber
formation (Industrial Technology)
• NRL arch for RF testing

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 Future Projects
• One-Year Timeframe
– Anechoic & EMC Chamber Labs
• Oceanit: absorber testing, NRL arch
Yang & Rahmat-Samii, IEEE Trans Antennas
• Lab for EE 533, Antennas
Propagat., Vol. 51, No. 10, Oct 2003,
pp. 2691 - 2703 • NSF-MRI proposal: certified antenna and http://esl.eng.ohio-state.edu/~rjm/
antennas/images/fractal
1.jpg

EMC chambers: submitted Jan 2012

– Eleven partner companies identified
– Anticipated antenna and EMC testing contracts in
proposed chambers
– Collaboration with UCSB Prof. Robert York
http://www.physics4u.gr/news/
http://www.barcode-
images3/metamaterial.jpg – AeroMech, Agile RF, Diodes Inc., Enerpro, solutions.com/
images/RFID/RFID-Tag-
GateWorks, Oceanit Laboratories, PolySat Program, 1.jpg
Stellar Exploration, Toyon Research, Transphorm,
Trust Automation

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http://ctd.grc.nasa.gov/organization/branches/
Cal Poly Anechoic Chamber Flat 12.5x12.5in Antenna Array eodb/images/lefthandedmetamaterial.png
 Future Projects
• Three-Year Timeframe
– Future projects: SBIR/NASA
Proposals
http://www-antenna.ee.titech.ac.jp/
research/photo/rlsa2.jpg
• SBIR proposal submissions with Toyon
Research Corporation (Goleta, CA)
• SBIR/STTR proposals with Oceanit
Laboratories (Honolulu, HI)
http://www.ecs.umass.edu/ece/labs/antlab/
APLab_images/faculty%20graphics/
Schaubert_graphics/8x1_Vivaldi_array.png
– Anechoic & EMC Chamber Labs
• Additional testing contracts
– Cal Poly Tech Park Companies
• Future wireless and antenna system
development and EMC testing contracts
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http://www.oersted.dtu.dk/upload/
http://www.rincon.com/images/phased_array1.jpg institutter/_oersted/emi/afg/vast2_200.jpg