MRI-R2 Acquisition of Enhanced Antenna Measurement Facilities for Emerging RF and Millimeter-Wave Applications

Villanova University, Villanova PA

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Objective The Antenna Research Laboratory at Villanova University is a unique regional and national facility existing in only a handful of US Universities. The existing facility is capable of automated antenna pattern, gain and radar measurements from 2 to 40 GHz, and has supported numerous projects in this frequency range. This 10-year-old facility, however, is rapidly becoming dated, and needs upgrading if it is to continue to be a useful means to conduct leading academic research and training. Our objective is to expand the capability of this facility to include measurements from 500MHz to 110GHz. Intellectual Merit The intellectual merit of the new instrumentation is in expanding the performance of the existing facility to enable future leading edge research dealing with scale model measurements of antennas on large platforms, millimeter-wave antennas and arrays, Global Positioning Systems, wireless communication and RFID Systems, and Imaging Systems, all areas of interest to federal and industry sponsors and potential users of the facility. Broader Impacts The broader impact of the new facility is supporting innovations in antenna design across many engineering practices. The quantum leap in the antenna lab measurement capabilities will enable development of research and education activities in commercial communications, wireless receiver localization, RFID, and RF/millimeter-wave imaging. In addition to clear benefits to our graduate and research programs, we intend to design project modules relevant to the new facilities and incorporate them into the undergraduate curricula. We intend to utilize these modules in recruiting and broadening the participation of females and minorities in engineering research