Course: RF Antennas Laboratory (Bachelor's Degree in Electronic Engineering)
University: University of Bologna, Cesena Campus
Scope: Bachelor's degree course in Electronics Engineering
This repository collects all the laboratory works carried out during the RF Antennas Laboratory course, providing a complete record of the six practical sessions performed. Each lab includes detailed reports, simulations, and in some cases, project files used for antenna and RF circuit design, measurement, and analysis.
The six laboratories included are:
-
Lab 01 – Power Balance in Resonant Circuits
Investigation of power balance in resonant vs. off-resonant dipole circuits, including numerical computations of radiated power, radiation resistance, and directivity gain. 4NEC simulations were performed for different dipole lengths, alongside MATLAB scripts for data analysis. -
Lab 02 – Electromagnetic Dipole Design and Construction
Design, simulation, and construction of a dipole antenna. CST Studio Suite was used for optimizing geometry, feed, and directivity, while the antenna was practically realized on FR-4 substrate with SMA connectors and tested using a nanoVNA. -
Lab 03 – Patch Antenna Design and Construction
Design and implementation of a microstrip patch antenna. The lab included simulations to optimize dimensions and feed using AWR, and practical construction with adhesive copper on a substrate. Performance was verified with nanoVNA measurements. -
Lab 04 – Directional Coupler Design
Analysis, design, and realization of a directional coupler using AWR. The lab involved TXLine-based optimization, S-parameter analysis, and practical fabrication of the coupler on an FR-4 substrate, followed by measurement verification with a nanoVNA. -
Lab 05 – PIFA Antenna Tuning with CST
Retuning a PIFA antenna from 3.45 GHz to 3.2 GHz using CST. Parameter sweeps on patch width and feeding position were carried out. Two configurations were tested (Rogers substrate and air), analyzing S11, directivity, IEEE gain, realized gain, and 2D/3D radiation patterns, along with efficiency comparison. -
Lab 06 – Stub Adapter Design
Design and tuning of a stub adapter at 2.1 GHz. The project combined simulation in AWR with practical construction on Isola DE104 FR-4 substrate. Parameters were optimized, and S11 measurements were performed using a nanoVNA to verify performance.
- CST Studio Suite – Antenna modeling, parameter sweeps, and radiation pattern analysis.
- AWR Microwave Office – Microwave circuit design, stub adapters, S-parameter analysis.
- 4NEC2 – Dipole simulations for radiation and impedance analysis.
- MATLAB – Numerical computations, plotting, and data analysis.
- TXLine tool – Transmission line dimensioning and optimization.
- nanoVNA – Experimental measurement of S-parameters.
- FR-4 / Isola DE104 substrates – Physical prototyping of antennas and RF circuits.
- Adhesive copper and SMA connectors – Circuit realization and interconnection.
Each lab folder contains the full report; in some cases, simulation files are also included to allow reproduction of results.
- Hands-on experience in antenna design, tuning, and testing.
- Practical skills in microwave circuit design and parameter optimization.
- Understanding of the relationship between simulation results and physical implementation.
- Measurement and analysis using modern RF tools and instruments.
- Exposure to substrate effects on antenna performance and efficiency.
- Reports: CC BY 4.0
- Simulation/Code files: MIT License
This repository documents the complete work performed during the RF Antennas Laboratory at the University of Bologna (Cesena Campus). Most of the projects were developed as part of the course; collaborators are not listed here unless explicitly mentioned in individual reports.