Microfluidically-Tunable Metamaterial Lenses for Wideband, High-Power, Phased-Array Applications

本研究的目的是从根本上推进经济实惠的高功率相控阵天线技术的发展。该方法是利用微波超材料和微流体领域的最新进展，开发一类新的高功率能力，可调，真正的时间延迟微波lenses.Intellectual优点：成本之间存在的根本权衡，功率处理能力，热管理和效率阻碍了高功率，负担得起的相控阵天线技术的发展。该项目旨在解决这些根本性的缺点，使用以前未探索的跨学科的方法。一种新型的超材料将被用于开发能够处理非常高功率水平的真实时间延迟微波透镜。微流体机制将用于快速重新配置透镜响应，并在基于透镜的相控阵中实现动态光束转向。该项目预计将通过在未来无线系统中推广相控阵技术的使用，对社会和经济产生积极影响，这些无线系统旨在应对重大的社会和经济挑战，包括对无线电频谱的有效访问和经济上可行的太阳能传输。这项工作的教育目标与研究目标密切相关，包括参与研究活动的代表性不足的本科生和研究生，研究纳入本科生和研究生阶段的工程教学，以及开发和广泛传播基于研究的教育材料。这项工作的研究成果将与现有的威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校的课程，以加强本科和研究生的工程课程。

The objective of this research is to fundamentally advance the development of affordable, high-power phased-array antenna technology. The approach is to use the recent advances in the areas of microwave metamaterials and microfluidics to develop a new class of high-power-capable, tunable, true-time-delay microwave lenses.Intellectual Merit: The fundamental tradeoffs that exist between cost, power handling capability, thermal management, and efficiency have hindered the development of high-power, affordable phased-array antenna technology. This project seeks to address these fundamental shortcomings using a previously unexplored interdisciplinary approach. A new class of metamaterials will be used to develop true-time-delay microwave lenses capable of handling very high power levels. A microfluidic mechanism will be used to rapidly reconfigure the lens response and achieve dynamic beam steering in lens-based phased arrays.Broader Impacts: This project is expected to positively impact the society and the economy by proliferating the use of phased-array technology in future wireless systems that aim at addressing grand societal and economic challenges, including efficient access to the radio spectrum and economically viable solar power transmission. Educational goals of this work are intimately linked to the research objectives and include involvement of underrepresented undergraduate and graduate students in research activities, integration of research into the teaching of engineering at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and development and broad dissemination of research-based educational materials. The research findings of this work will be integrated with existing University of Wisconsin-Madison courses to enhance the undergraduate and graduate engineering curricula.