Vision: In-house knowledge of potentialities and limitations of physical-layer subsystems is mandatory to undertake a comprehensive approach to research on telecommunication systems.

Mission: Create flows of information between different microwave technologies to systematically study their impact on the whole system. Identify innovations, future developments and trends in the microwave subsystem technologies. Improve the overall system performance, reduction of the overall cost, introduction of new architectures and materials.

The main research lines of this area can be summarized as follows:  

CS1: Advanced Microwave Passive Devices

The objective of this research line is to offer a unique and comprehensive treatment of novel microwave passive components, with special emphasis on microwave filters, providing a link from the development of advanced synthesis techniques, such as adaptive predistortion techniques using convex optimization, CAD tools and advanced electronic materials and designing technologies. More info: Jordi Mateu

CS2: Smart and sustainable microwave and mmwave systems

The goal of the proposed research is to combine circuit and system theory with nonlinear dynamics and with new technologies and fabrication techniques in order to develop novel and accurate design and optimization methodologies for smart and sustainable microwave and mmwave systems. The problems that will be tackled within this research line fall within the following fields: a) active antenna arrays, b) RFID (radio frequency identification) and energy autonomous sensors, c) mmWave system on substrate (SOS), and d) Novel circuit topologies for low noise, high frequency generation and conversion. More info: Apostolos Georgiadis

CS3: MEMS-based and Reconfigurable Devices

This research line concerns the design of controllable microwave devices, using in particular MicroElectroMechanical systems (MEMS) technology to achieve dynamic reconfiguration. A particular interest is the design of reconfigurable reflectarrays based on MEMS, for beam scanning applications. Control of the phase shift and dispersion of guided waves is also addressed using MEMS technology, based for instance on metamaterial structures. Finally, this research line addresses strategies for the dynamic reconfiguration of ultra-wideband (UWB) antennas. More info: Ignacio Llamas

CS4: Positioning Systems

Information about the user's position is a potential trigger for a myriad of emerging applications. From fireman operations to interactive, personalized touristic guides, position constitutes a valuable data to be exploited by systems which only imagination can bound. Unfortunately, the problem of user's position remains unsolved, at least with the degree of coverage, reliability and accuracy that applications (and imagination) demand. This research dwells on advanced signal processing techniques and new RF front-end architectures for positioning systems. More info: Pau Closas