525.684.8VL - Microwave Systems & Receiver Design

Course Structure

Lectures

• The course consists of 12 lectures. 

• You will take part in a weekly discussion to earn part of our total score for the course. (Cheer up! It's easy points.)
  • For each discussion topic, make a meaningful and contributive post that aligns to one of the following categories.
    • Ask a good question
    • Provide a good answer to another's question
    • Provide well-meaning and constructive feedback or criticism to the course material or topic
    • Provide supplementary material that complements the course material or topic

• Homework will be assigned each week except as noted.
• Homework will be graded within one week, discussed in a following class, and the solutions will be posted in Canvas.

• There is a mid-term exam and a final exam.
• Exams are administered during the normal class period.
• The final exam is cumulative over the whole course but will focus on the material since the mid-term.
  
• Students can optionally connect to the Zoom lecture session during the exam to ask questions. 
• There will be no lecture content during the exam period.

Course Topics

Course Goals

The goal of this course is to develop the student's understanding of linear and nonlinear effects in microwave components and cascades of components. Overall receiver system performance in terms of noise figure, gain, bandwidth, spurious product generation, etc., is evaluated.

Textbooks

The following textbook is required. (Hint: eBay and other used book sellers have it for less than $50.)

• Egan, W. F. (2003). Practical RF system design. Wiley-Interscience. https://doi.org/10.1002/0471654094
  

• Wolff, E. A., & Kaul, R. (1988). Microwave Engineering and Systems Applications. Wiley.

• Electronic Warfare and Radar Systems Engineering Handbook, 4th Edition (NAWCWD TP 8347; p. 455). (2013). Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division. https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA617071

• McClaning, K. (2012). Wireless Receiver Design for Digital Communications (2nd ed (Online-Ausg.)). SciTech Publishing Inc.
  

Student Coursework Requirements

Your total course score is determined from your homework, mid-term exam, and final exam.

• Discussion participation is 10% of your total score
• Homework is 50% of your total score
• Mid-term exam is 20% of your total score
• Final exam is 20% of your total score

Grading Policy

EP uses a +/- grading system (see “Grading System”, Graduate Programs catalog, p. 10). 

Course Policies

1. Homework is due at the listed date and time in the Canvas assignment. Typically this will be the beginning of class, one week after it is assigned. Typically we will discuss the problems and publish the solutions at that time.

2. Homework submitted after the solutions are published is not eligible for a grade (zero points).

3. The homework, mid-term exam, and final exam will require calculations and you are expected to have the necessary equipment at that time. This could be a scientific calculator, spreadsheet software, Python interpreter--whatever method you are comfortable with--but you are responsible for that resource at that time. Complexity of the calculations will be comparable to the homework.

4. The grading of the discussion participation is a subjective measure by the instructor. However, the syllabus Course Structure section gives clear guidance on the expectations for the level of participation.

5. The mid-term exam and final exam will require you to view the exam and submit the exam at the appropriate times. Exams may require you to draw simple diagrams or pictures. You will submit your exam by uploading a document to Canvas. Examples of acceptable formats are:
   • Handwritten paper scanned to PDF in a manner that is clear and legible
   • PDF of content generated with software (digital tablet, typed document, etc)
   • Other method so long as it is pre-approved before the day of the exam.

6. The mid-term exam and final exam are open book, open notes, and open homework. You may not use outside resources, to include your peers or other people.

7. Exams are released at the beginning of the class time (4:30pm EST) on the evening of the mid-term and final exam and are to be completed and submitted before the end of that same class period (7:10pm EST).

8. Students are encouraged to explore and experiment with generative AI tools for learning purposes (not including for the completion of homework or exams). 

9. The use of generative AI tools is strictly prohibited in all assessments (homework and exams) to ensure fair evaluation of individual student performance.

Academic Policies

Deadlines for Adding, Dropping and Withdrawing from Courses

Students may add a course up to one week after the start of the term for that particular course. Students may drop courses according to the drop deadlines outlined in the EP academic calendar (https://ep.jhu.edu/student-services/academic-calendar/). Between the 6th week of the class and prior to the final withdrawal deadline, a student may withdraw from a course with a W on their academic record. A record of the course will remain on the academic record with a W appearing in the grade column to indicate that the student registered and withdrew from the course.

Academic Misconduct Policy

All students are required to read, know, and comply with the Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) / Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) Procedures for Handling Allegations of Misconduct by Full-Time and Part-Time Graduate Students. This policy prohibits academic misconduct, including but not limited to the following: cheating or facilitating cheating; plagiarism; reuse of assignments; unauthorized collaboration; alteration of graded assignments; and unfair competition. Course materials (old assignments, texts, or examinations, etc.) should not be shared unless authorized by the course instructor. Any questions related to this policy should be directed to EP’s academic integrity officer at ep-academic-integrity@jhu.edu.

Students with Disabilities - Accommodations and Accessibility

Johns Hopkins University is committed to providing welcoming, equitable, and accessible educational experiences for all students. If disability accommodations are needed for this course, students should request accommodations through Student Disability Services (SDS) as early as possible to provide time for effective communication and arrangements.  For further information about this process, please refer to the SDS Website.

Student Conduct Code

The fundamental purpose of the JHU regulation of student conduct is to promote and to protect the health, safety, welfare, property, and rights of all members of the University community as well as to promote the orderly operation of the University and to safeguard its property and facilities. As members of the University community, students accept certain responsibilities which support the educational mission and create an environment in which all students are afforded the same opportunity to succeed academically.  For a full description of the code please visit the following website: https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/policies-guidelines/student-code/

Classroom Climate

JHU is committed to creating a classroom environment that values the diversity of experiences and perspectives that all students bring. Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Fostering an inclusive climate is important. Research and experience show that students who interact with peers who are different from themselves learn new things and experience tangible educational outcomes. At no time in this learning process should someone be singled out or treated unequally on the basis of any seen or unseen part of their identity.    If you have concerns in this course about harassment, discrimination, or any unequal treatment, or if you seek accommodations or resources, please reach out to the course instructor directly. Reporting will never impact your course grade. You may also share concerns with your program chair, the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, or the Office of Institutional Equity. In handling reports, people will protect your privacy as much as possible, but faculty and staff are required to officially report information for some cases (e.g. sexual harassment).

Course Auditing

When a student enrolls in an EP course with “audit” status, the student must reach an understanding with the instructor as to what is required to earn the “audit.” If the student does not meet those expectations, the instructor must notify the EP Registration Team [EP-Registration@exchange.johnshopkins.edu] in order for the student to be retroactively dropped or withdrawn from the course (depending on when the "audit" was requested and in accordance with EP registration deadlines). All lecture content will remain accessible to auditing students, but access to all other course material is left to the discretion of the instructor.