Principles of RF and Microwave Design

by Matthew A. Morgan

This comprehensive resource provides a thorough introduction to the principles of electronic circuits operating in the radio, microwave, and millimeter-wave frequency ranges. The book highlights the fundamental physical laws of classical electromagnetics using a foundation of Maxwell’s equations to give insight into the operating principles of circuit elements of all kinds, from lumped elements to transmission lines, waveguides, optical fibers, and quasi-optical structures. Standard passive system components like filters, splitters, couplers, hybrids, baluns, and antennas are explained to acclimate the reader to considering multiple technological solutions for common design problems.

A basic overview of active circuit designs, such as amplifiers, mixers, and multipliers is also provided, along with discussion of the performance characteristics of electronic systems, including noise and linearity. Emphasis is placed on visualization and understanding of how and why electronic circuits of all frequencies are built and operate the way they do. Readers learn how to match an amplifier for optimum noise performance over the broadest bandwidth with the fewest number of elements and how to visualize the coupling of various modes in a mixed waveguide-type structure and avoid resonances due to trapped, higher-order modes. The book provides the tools needed to design and optimize a launcher from microstrip into waveguide, and whether the best characteristics can be achieved by incorporating matching elements in the microstrip section, the waveguide section, or both. Packed with references and examples, readers learn not only how to do the math but what the math means.

712 pages, Hardcover

Published November 30, 2019

About the author

Matthew A. Morgan is a tenured scientific researcher specializing in advanced instrumentation and novel concept development for radio astronomy, spacecraft telecommunications, and remote sensing. He received his B.S. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Virginia in 1999, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the California Institute of Technology in 2001 and 2003, respectively.

He has published three textbooks and over 60 papers in academic journals and holds twenty patents in the areas of Monolithic Millimeter-wave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) design, millimeter-wave system integration, and high-frequency packaging techniques.

During the summers of 1996 through 1998, Matt worked for Lockheed Martin Federal Systems in Manassas, VA, as an Associate Programmer, where he wrote code for acoustic signal processing, mathematical modeling, data simulation, and system performance monitoring. In 1999, he became an affiliate of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. There, he conducted research in the development of MMICs and MMIC-based receiver components for atmospheric radiometers, laboratory instrumentation, and the deep-space communication network. He has also consulted for several commercial and scientific companies regarding advanced product development in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

In 2003, Dr. Morgan joined the Central Development Lab (CDL) of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in Charlottesville, VA, where he now holds the position of Scientist/Research Engineer. He was Project Engineer for the K-Band Focal Plane Array development project on the Green Bank Telescope, and technical lead for Band 6 cryogenic IF amplifier production, Band 6 receiver cartridge testing, and Band 3 and Band 6 OMT production for the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA). Dr. Morgan is currently the head of the CDL's Integrated Receiver Development program, and is involved in the design and development of low-noise receivers, components, and novel concepts for radio astronomy instrumentation in the cm-wave, mm-wave, and submm-wave frequency ranges.