Ultra-Wideband Research at USF

The RF Microsystems Group at USF is engaged in leading edge research in Ultra-Wideband (UWB).  The Federal Communication Commission (FCC), the US regulatory body which regulates all interstate and international transmissions, defines UWB as an intentional radiator with an instantaneous 10dB-fractional and total bandwidth of at least 0.2 and 500MHz, respectively.  It is finding application at USF in the form of research in biological detection, microwave antennas, radar systems and communications. 

 

Text Box: Ultra-Wideband Antennas For Wireless Sensory Networks  [Click for more info]

Quenton Bonds, Thomas Weller, Ph.D.

The USF College of Marine Science (CMS) is conducting an environmental study in the Puerto Rican Islands of Vieques where the US Navy has been performing missile testing exercises from 1947-2003.  As a result, studies by the Puerto Rico commonwealth government have reported elevated levels of contaminants in the water, food chain and human population, and higher-than-normal rates of cancer.    We are researching deployable UWB antennas for a wireless network of biological sensors, which detect toxins that plague the Vieques Islands.  Our goal is to provide an antenna that is small enough to function inside sensor packaging and GPS receivers, with a phase center, VSWR and radiation pattern that is nearly constant across the entire bandwidth of operation  (3GHz-10GHz). 

Acknowledgments: The NSF Bridge to Doctorate Program, Grant # HRD – 0217675NSF

 

Text Box: UWB Radar for Enhanced Non-Invasive Cancer Diagnostics [Click for more info]

Erick Maxwell, Thomas Weller, Ph.D., Jeffrey Harrow, Ph.D., M.D.

We are researching the use of ultra-wideband radar as a non-invasive technique to detect the presence of cancer of the axillary lymph nodes.  The question we are seeking to answer is as follows:  To what extent can lymphatic metastasis be non-invasively detected using an UWB platform?  Our hypotheses is that the shape of an UWB pulse will be impacted by the electrical permittivity, conductivity, distribution and shape of cancer cell clusters – all of which differs from that of normal cells – so that there will be a notable difference in the return.  In addition, the wide bandwidth of UWB electromagnetic pulses, will allow for improvement in the resolution so that more information relating to the extent and malignancy of cancer cells will be possible, resulting in an improvement in selectivity and sensitivity over EIS. 

Acknowledgments: The NSF IGERT Program, Grant # DGE – 0221681

 

 

 

RF Microsystems Group

A part of the Center for Wireless and Microwave and Information Systems, USF