Date of Award

3-11-2011

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

First Advisor

Petter J. Collins, PhD.

Abstract

This document addresses two major obstacles facing metamaterial development: uncertainty in the characterization of electromagnetic field behavior in metamaterial structures and the relatively small operational bandwidth of metamaterial structures. To address the first obstacle, a method of prediction aided measurement is developed and exploited to examine the field interactions within metamaterial devices. The fusion of simulation and measurement techniques enhances the understanding of the physical interactions of fields in the presence of metamaterials. To address the second obstacle, this document characterizes the effectiveness of an adaptive metamaterial design that incorporates a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) variable capacitor. Applying voltages to the MEMS device changes the resonant frequency of the metamaterial. In this research, various capacitor layouts are examined with computational models and stripline measurements, leading to recommendations for design improvements.

AFIT Designator

AFIT-GE-ENG-11-20

DTIC Accession Number

ADA540076

Download

Share

COinS