US Army Research Office Programs in Electromagnetics and RF Circuit Integration
Dr. Dev. Palmer
Friday, January 25, 2008
2:00PM ~ 3:30PM, Harris Center 101
Abstract
The DoD transformation to a networkcentric force is driving the need for basic research supporting mobile, multifunctional, reliable, and highperformance communications and sensor systems. In the Electromagnetics and RF Circuit Integration program at ARO, this research falls into the general technical areas of computational electromagnetics, antennas, RF component development, RF circuit integration, and landmine/UXO/IED detection.
Problems of interest in computational electromagnetics can be divided into two regimes: device, circuit, package, and antenna modeling at short length scales, and radio wave propagation modeling at large length scales. For military communications and radar systems, innovative approaches are needed to increase the performance and decrease the size and signature of tactical antennas operating from the HF to W frequency bands. These electronic systems of the future will operate in an increasingly dynamic and complex spectral environment, which drives the need for innovative concepts that will produce devices and components with extremely high dynamic range, extremely wide instantaneous bandwidth, extremely high linearity, and multichannel phase tracking. Increasing system functionality will require integration technologies to provide millimeterwave/microwave circuits at small size, lightweight, low cost, and high reliability. To protect these systems and their operators, innovative electromagnetic and hybrid approaches are needed for the detection of landmines, unexploded ordnance, and improvised explosive devices.
This talk will give a brief overview of the ARO and the DoD science and technology funding infrastructure, present some results from currently funded programs, and discuss research challenges in Electromagnetics and RF Circuit Integration from the military point of view.
Short Bio
Dev Palmer is the Program Manager for computational electromagnetics, RF circuit integration, antennas, lowpower communications systems, and power electronics at the Army Research Office in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. From 1991 to 2001, he served on the technical staff at the MCNC Research and Development Institute, and was appointed as the Director of Optical and Electronic Packaging in 2000. He is an Adjunct Professor at Duke University and taught introductory electromagnetics for four semesters between 1994 and 1998.
Dr. Palmer received the B.A. degree in Physics, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Duke University. He is a Professional Engineer registered in North Carolina and a member of URSI (2006 2008 Chair of Commission C), the American Vacuum Society, the Materials Research Society, and Sigma Xi. As a Senior Member and active participant in the IEEE, he has served on the Vacuum Devices Technical Committee, and as Guest Editor for the TED Special Issue on Vacuum Electronics (January 2001) and the TMTT Special Issue on Multifunctional RF Systems (March 2005). He is a founding member and past Chair of the local AP/CPMT/MTT/ED chapter and currently serves as the Vice Chair for the Eastern North Carolina Section in Region 3.
