Lijun Zhang

Bio: Lijun Zhang is an academic researcher from University of California, Los Angeles. The author has contributed to research in topics: Finite element method & Microstrip antenna. The author has an hindex of 7, co-authored 8 publications receiving 4090 citations.

High-impedance electromagnetic surfaces with a forbidden frequency band

Abstract: A new type of metallic electromagnetic structure has been developed that is characterized by having high surface impedance. Although it is made of continuous metal, and conducts dc currents, it does not conduct ac currents within a forbidden frequency band. Unlike normal conductors, this new surface does not support propagating surface waves, and its image currents are not phase reversed. The geometry is analogous to a corrugated metal surface in which the corrugations have been folded up into lumped-circuit elements, and distributed in a two-dimensional lattice. The surface can be described using solid-state band theory concepts, even though the periodicity is much less than the free-space wavelength. This unique material is applicable to a variety of electromagnetic problems, including new kinds of low-profile antennas.

High-impedance electromagnetic ground planes

Abstract: A new type of metallic electromagnetic structure has been developed that is characterized by having high surface impedance. Although it is made of continuous metal, and conducts DC currents, it does not conduct AC currents within a forbidden frequency band. Unlike normal conductors, this new surface does not support propagating surface waves, and it reflects electromagnetic waves with no phase reversal.

Thin frequency-selective lattices integrated in novel compact MIC, MMIC, and PCA architectures

Abstract: We analyze and optimize the design of novel composite materials for ICs and printed circuit antenna (PCA) applications. We are using a variety of finite artificial lattices (FALs) carrying passive metalo-dielectric unit cells. We first examine and optimize these lattices as freestanding structures, regarding them as FSSs and space filters. We obtain several designs for appropriate metalo-dielectric unit cells, as well as stacking geometries for constructing thin laterally infinite artificial lattices. Further, we examine the action of the corresponding FAL within integrated architectures, emphasizing crosstalk suppression, circuit-coupling tailoring, and gain enhancement. We find very significant directive gain enhancements for compact packaged PCA applications. Finally, anomalous scaling of the resulting circuits and tunable designs are also presented.

An efficient finite-element method for the analysis of photonic band-gap materials

Abstract: An efficient finite-element method (FEM) is presented in this paper to calculate the bandgap information of photonic bandgap (PBG) materials. A uniaxial anisotropic absorber is used to enclose the computational domain of the finite-element method. The presented method is very efficient in the bandgap calculation, which is essential for the design of various practical applications using PBG materials.

Microstrip line fed slot antenna with PBG superstrate

Abstract: The effect of using a superstrate PBG material on a microstrip line fed slot antenna is investigated. The PBG material is composed of periodic metallic blocks inside a host dielectric material with high material permittivity, and exhibits a complete bandgap at the design frequency of the slot antenna. Simulation results show that by adding the PBG layer as a superstrate, radiation in the E-plane near the endfire direction is suppressed, while radiation in the H-plane is enhanced.

I and i

Abstract: There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality. Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

Microstrip filters for RF/microwave applications

Abstract: Preface to the Second Edition. Preface to the First Edition. 1 Introduction. 2 Network Analysis. 2.1 Network Variables. 2.2 Scattering Parameters. 2.3 Short-Circuit Admittance Parameters. 2.4 Open-Circuit Impedance Parameters. 2.5 ABCD Parameters. 2.6 Transmission-Line Networks. 2.7 Network Connections. 2.8 Network Parameter Conversions. 2.9 Symmetrical Network Analysis. 2.10 Multiport Networks. 2.11 Equivalent and Dual Network. 2.12 Multimode Networks. 3 Basic Concepts and Theories of Filters. 3.1 Transfer Functions. 3.2 Lowpass Prototype Filters and Elements. 3.3 Frequency and Element Transformations. 3.4 Immittance Inverters. 3.5 Richards' Transformation and Kuroda Identities. 3.6 Dissipation and Unloaded Quality Factor. 4 Transmission Lines and Components. 4.1 Microstrip Lines. 4.2 Coupled Lines. 4.3 Discontinuities and Components. 4.4 Other Types of Microstrip Lines. 4.5 Coplanar Waveguide (CPW). 4.6 Slotlines. 5 Lowpass and Bandpass Filters. 5.1 Lowpass Filters. 5.2 Bandpass Filters. 6 Highpass and Bandstop Filters. 6.1 Highpass Filters. 6.2 Bandstop Filters. 7 Coupled-Resonator Circuits. 7.1 General Coupling Matrix for Coupled-Resonator Filters. 7.2 General Theory of Couplings. 7.3 General Formulation for Extracting Coupling Coefficient k. 7.4 Formulation for Extracting External Quality Factor Qe. 7.5 Numerical Examples. 7.6 General Coupling Matrix Including Source and Load. 8 CAD for Low-Cost and High-Volume Production. 8.1 Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Tools. 8.2 Computer-Aided Analysis (CAA). 8.3 Filter Synthesis by Optimization. 8.4 CAD Examples. 9 Advanced RF/Microwave Filters. 9.1 Selective Filters with a Single Pair of Transmission Zeros. 9.2 Cascaded Quadruplet (CQ) Filters. 9.3 Trisection and Cascaded Trisection (CT) Filters. 9.4 Advanced Filters with Transmission-Line Inserted Inverters. 9.5 Linear-Phase Filters. 9.6 Extracted Pole Filters. 9.7 Canonical Filters. 9.8 Multiband Filters. 10 Compact Filters and Filter Miniaturization. 10.1 Miniature Open-Loop and Hairpin Resonator Filters. 10.2 Slow-Wave Resonator Filters. 10.3 Miniature Dual-Mode Resonator Filters. 10.4 Lumped-Element Filters. 10.5 Miniature Filters Using High Dielectric-Constant Substrates. 10.6 Multilayer Filters. 11 Superconducting Filters. 11.1 High-Temperature Superconducting (HTS) Materials. 11.2 HTS Filters for Mobile Communications. 11.3 HTS Filters for Satellite Communications. 11.4 HTS Filters for Radio Astronomy and Radar. 11.5 High-Power HTS Filters. 11.6 Cryogenic Package. 12 Ultra-Wideband (UWB) Filters. 12.1 UWB Filters with Short-Circuited Stubs. 12.2 UWB-Coupled Resonator Filters. 12.3 Quasilumped Element UWB Filters. 12.4 UWB Filters Using Cascaded Miniature High- And Lowpass Filters. 12.5 UWB Filters with Notch Band(s). 13 Tunable and Reconfigurable Filters. 13.1 Tunable Combline Filters. 13.2 Tunable Open-Loop Filters without Via-Hole Grounding. 13.3 Reconfigurable Dual-Mode Bandpass Filters. 13.4 Wideband Filters with Reconfigurable Bandwidth. 13.5 Reconfigurable UWB Filters. 13.6 RF MEMS Reconfigurable Filters. 13.7 Piezoelectric Transducer Tunable Filters. 13.8 Ferroelectric Tunable Filters. Appendix: Useful Constants and Data. A.1 Physical Constants. A.2 Conductivity of Metals at 25 C (298K). A.3 Electical Resistivity rho in 10-8 m of Metals. A.4 Properties of Dielectric Substrates. Index.

Planar Photonics with Metasurfaces

Abstract: Metamaterials, or engineered materials with rationally designed, subwavelength-scale building blocks, allow us to control the behavior of physical fields in optical, microwave, radio, acoustic, heat transfer, and other applications with flexibility and performance that are unattainable with naturally available materials. In turn, metasurfaces-planar, ultrathin metamaterials-extend these capabilities even further. Optical metasurfaces offer the fascinating possibility of controlling light with surface-confined, flat components. In the planar photonics concept, it is the reduced dimensionality of the optical metasurfaces that enables new physics and, therefore, leads to functionalities and applications that are distinctly different from those achievable with bulk, multilayer metamaterials. Here, we review the progress in developing optical metasurfaces that has occurred over the past few years with an eye toward the promising future directions in the field.

All-dielectric metamaterials

Abstract: The ideal material for nanophotonic applications will have a large refractive index at optical frequencies, respond to both the electric and magnetic fields of light, support large optical chirality and anisotropy, confine and guide light at the nanoscale, and be able to modify the phase and amplitude of incoming radiation in a fraction of a wavelength. Artificial electromagnetic media, or metamaterials, based on metallic or polar dielectric nanostructures can provide many of these properties by coupling light to free electrons (plasmons) or phonons (phonon polaritons), respectively, but at the inevitable cost of significant energy dissipation and reduced device efficiency. Recently, however, there has been a shift in the approach to nanophotonics. Low-loss electromagnetic responses covering all four quadrants of possible permittivities and permeabilities have been achieved using completely transparent and high-refractive-index dielectric building blocks. Moreover, an emerging class of all-dielectric metamaterials consisting of anisotropic crystals has been shown to support large refractive index contrast between orthogonal polarizations of light. These advances have revived the exciting prospect of integrating exotic electromagnetic effects in practical photonic devices, to achieve, for example, ultrathin and efficient optical elements, and realize the long-standing goal of subdiffraction confinement and guiding of light without metals. In this Review, we present a broad outline of the whole range of electromagnetic effects observed using all-dielectric metamaterials: high-refractive-index nanoresonators, metasurfaces, zero-index metamaterials and anisotropic metamaterials. Finally, we discuss current challenges and future goals for the field at the intersection with quantum, thermal and silicon photonics, as well as biomimetic metasurfaces.

Microstrip antennas integrated with electromagnetic band-gap (EBG) structures: a low mutual coupling design for array applications

Abstract: Utilization of electromagnetic band-gap (EBG) structures is becoming attractive in the electromagnetic and antenna community. In this paper, a mushroom-like EBG structure is analyzed using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. Its band-gap feature of surface-wave suppression is demonstrated by exhibiting the near field distributions of the electromagnetic waves. The mutual coupling of microstrip antennas is parametrically investigated, including both the E and H coupling directions, different substrate thickness, and various dielectric constants. It is observed that the E-plane coupled microstrip antenna array on a thick and high permittivity substrate has a strong mutual coupling due to the pronounced surface waves. Therefore, an EBG structure is inserted between array elements to reduce the mutual coupling. This idea has been verified by both the FDTD simulations and experimental results. As a result, a significant 8 dB mutual coupling reduction is noticed from the measurements.