Monolithic Microwave IC Design

• General overview of monolithic microwave IC (MMIC) design techniques
• MMIC design tools and models
• Substrate properties, packaging parasitics, and their impact on MMIC design
• Fundamental building blocks:   
  • Amplifiers (low-noise, wideband, power)
  • Artificial transmission lines and distributed circuit topologies
  • Mixers
  • Oscillators
  • Frequency multipliers and dividers
  • Phase shifters and vector modulators

Students recognize fundamental requirements of microwave/millimeter-wave communication systems. They review and analyze common circuit concepts and topologies, and identify those which meet the requirements. They then synthesize circuits to meet a set of requirements, and assess their functional performance using computer aided design tools, compare their results with the requirements, leading to circuit optimization.

The online part of the study programme takes place in self-study and in the form of group work. For the self-study part of the programme, video lectures with detailed information about the contents and an elaborated script are offered. The script has been developed especially for extra-occupational learners in regard to the didactic concept of Ulm University. It contains breaks for independent study, multiple and single choice tests, quizzes, exercises, etc.

Your mentor will offer online seminars in periodic intervals. These seminars will help you to handle the exercises and work on the learning topics.

An online forum for exchange with the other students will also be available.

Requirement is a first academic degree.

1. Principles of Analog Circuit Design
2. Principles of Radio Frequency Engineering
3. Fundamental knowledge of transistor function (pHEMT, MOSFET, BJT)

Oral exam in the form of a design review, where the student presents a design based on a paper provided 6 weeks before the exam.

For admission to the oral exam the following requirements have to be met: Participation in the practical design exercises is required for registration to exam.

In case of hardship the candidate can write an informal request to the coordinator in order to be given admission to the exam. In case of sickness a doctor's certicate has to be submitted to the coordinator.

After finishing the module successfully you will get a certificate and a supplement, which will list the contents of the module and the competences you have acquired. The supplement confirms the equivalent of 6 credit points (ECTS).

Participation fee for certificate course: 1.170 Euro

Fee after matriculation: 990 Euro