Professor Yi Wang BSc, MSc, PhD, Senior Member of IEEE (2012), Fellow of HEA (2012)

Department of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering
Professor of Microwave Engineering
Head of Emerging Device Technology (EDT) Research Lab
Academic Lead of Engineering Cleanroom and THz VNA Facility

Contact details

Telephone: +44 (0) 121 414 7314
Email: y.wang.1@bham.ac.uk

View my research portal

Address: University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Dr Wang is Head of Emerging Device Technology (EDT) Research Lab, and the Academic Lead of the Engineering Cleanroom and the THz Vector Network Analyser Facility. He is the TPC Chair of 2021 European Microwave Conference.

Dr Wang was trained in physics. He teaches electronics and electromagnetism. His research area is microwave and terahertz passive device technologies, focusing on the use of new manufacture techniques, new materials, and new circuit design methods.

His research has been mainly funded by UK EPSRC, European Space Agency, EU and industry. He is the Associate Editor of IET Microwaves, Antennas & Propagation.

Dr Wang is Head of Emerging Device Technology (EDT) Research Lab, the Academic Lead of the Engineering Cleanroom and the THz Vector Network Analyser Facility. He served the TPC Chair of 2021 European Microwave Conference.

Qualifications

PG Cert in Higher Education, 2012
PhD in Electronic Engineering, University of Birmingham, 2005
MSc in Condensed Matter Physics, University of Science and Technology Beijing, China, 2001
BSc (1st class with distinction) in Applied Physics (Non-destructive testing), University of Science and Technology Beijing, China, 1998

Biography

Yi Wang received his BSc and MSc in Physics from the University of Science and Technology Beijing, China, in 1998 and 2001 respectively, and his PhD degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering from University of Birmingham, UK, in 2005. His career began as a research fellow at University of Birmingham from 2004, working on high-frequency devices for communications and radars using advanced materials (e.g. superconductors, ferroelectric, SU-8), novel structures (e.g. left-handed metamaterials) and micro-fabrication techniques (MEMS and micromachining). In 2011, he became a Senior Lecturer and then Reader at the University of Greenwich. In 2018, he joined Birmingham as an Associate Professor.

Dr Wang has published over 210 research papers (130+ in referred journals) in high-frequency devices from microwave to terahertz frequencies. He has a breadth of knowledge and expertise in microwave circuit design, micro-fabrications, device measurements, and electronic materials. His research has benefited greatly from links with industries. He also collaborates widely with universities and institutions in the UK and aboard. Wang was appointed Visiting Professor of Shanghai Institute of Ceramics (microwave materials and devices), Chinese Academy of Science in 2017.

Dr Wang leads the Emerging Device Technology (EDT) group. The group currently has 4 research fellows, 9 PhD students, and 2 facility managers. It also regularly hosts academic visitors.

Teaching

Electronic Circuits, Devices and Electromagnetics (Year 2) (2018 - present)
Communication Systems (Year 2) (2021 - present)
Engineering Materials (Year 1) (2018 - 2021)
Integrated Design Project (2018 - 2022)
BEng/MEng/MSc project (2018 - present)

Postgraduate supervision

Programmable / adaptable microwave devices using liquid metals and/or liquid dielectrics.
3D printed microwave filters and antennas
Sub-THz passive components and front-ends for communications and sensing
Mm-wave and sub-THz antennas
Multi-functional multi-port microwave devices, their synthesis and co-design

Qualified and highly motivated students are welcome to apply for one of our Postgraduate doctoral research programmes.

Research

Research interests

Microwave, millimetre-wave and terahertz circuits, systems for communications and sensing and their fabrication techniques.

Research grants

2023-25, EU MSCA, NeoWaveS – New Design and Manufacture Technologies for High-Performance Millimetre-Wave and Terahertz Waveguide Devices for Space and Terrestrial Communications (Host)
2023-24, EPSRC Strategic Equipment Grant, Green laser additive manufacturing platform (CI).
2023-25, The Royal Society, Ferroelectric-graphene heterostructure with periodic domains for terahertz sensing and communications (PI)
2022-25, Industry, Key Technologies of Millimetre Wave Antenna Integration (PI)
2023-24, European Space Agency, Filters and Multiplexers for mm-Wave Sounders and Imagers (PI)
2021-25, European Space Agency, High-power filters with novel temperature-compensation techniques and multi-domain topological co-design (PhD co-fund) (PI)
2021-24, EPSRC, Programmable Microwave Hardware Based on Liquid Wires (PI)
2020-23, Dept. for Communities & Local Government, Alternative Raw Materials with Low Impact 2 (ARLI-2), (CI)
2019-22, EU H2020-EMPIR 18SIB09, Millimetre-wave and THz power sensors for metrology
2019-23, EPSRC: Towards a 3D printed terahertz circuit technology (PI)
2020-22, Industry, Highly Integrated 5G millimetre-wave front-end antennas (PI)
2020-23, European Space Agency (GSTP), Next generation temperature compensated high power filters based on novel materials (PI)
2017-23, EPSRC Strategic Equipment, 10 MHz to 1.1 THz Vector Network Analyser (taking over as PI)
2017-18, NSFC research fund: Low loss terahertz waveguide structures (PI)
2015-17, EPSRC grant: Synthesis and new applications of multi-port filtering networks (PI)
2014-16, Industry, Synthesis of microwave multiplexers (PI)

Research areas

Microwave circuit theory and device technology

5G/6G communications requires smaller, better and smarter (adaptable, reconfigurable, multi-role) microwave devices. Next-generation satellites demand lighter and flexible payloads. Hospitals and patients will benefit greatly from wireless sensors for remote health monitoring, non-invasive diagnostics and imaging. Dr Wang’s group is working on:

Programmable / reconfigurable microwave devices using liquid metal (a review paper) and liquid dielectrics.
3D printed microwave filters and antenna systems for space, and their topological optimisation
Synthesis and application of complex multi-port filtering networks (MPFNs)
Functionally integrated microwave circuits: e.g. filter-amplifiers (a review paper), filter-antennas (a review paper), switch-filter
Wearable sensors and radios

Mm-wave antenna systems

We have unique design capability of high-performance (80%+ efficiency) and low-profile (planar) metal-waveguide arrays, best suited for backhauls and Satcom. While we have developed our own expertise in AiP phase array, we are also working on new passive beamforming solutions.

Metal-waveguide antenna arrays
Phase arrays based on antenna-in-package (AiP)
Passive beamforming

THz devices for communications and sensing

Terahertz (THz) wave is the spectrum between microwave and far-infrared light (300 GHz to 3 THz). THz wave technology holds great promise in emerging industrial and scientific applications such as security screening, remote sensing, non-destructive testing, and ultra broadband communications. Because of immature device technologies, this part of the spectrum hasn’t been extensively utilised. The vision of Dr Wang’s research is to develop new cost-effective manufacture route for high-performance components for THz comms systems, metrology instruments and sensors, enabled by advanced micro/nano fabrication techniques. Dr Wang’s group is working on:

Micromachined passive circuits and antennas (DRIE, SU8, laser)
Waveguide integration with MMIC and diodes
Low loss THz waveguides and resonators
Power sensors/detectors
Frequency selective surfaces

Manufacture technologies for microwave and THz

EDT group is specialised in applying new manufacture technologies and has collaborated widely with manufacturing experts in:

3D printing (also with new or unusual materials)
Photolithography (DRIE and SU8)
Soft-lithography (microfluidics)
Laser micro process
High-precision CNC
Antenna-in-package (AiP)

Cryogenic microwave devices

Birmingham has a long heritage of applied superconductor research (1990 - 2010) in microwave devices for communications and radio astronomy. Recently we have reactivated this research area, using our experience with low-temperature microwave devices to address the need of microwave technologies in quantum computing. We are interested in:

Measurements using our cryogenic on-wafer probe station (with 2 RF and 4 DC probes)
Low-temperature microwave circuits (transmission lines, filters, couplers, attenuators)
Flexible transmission media

Other activities

2021 European Microwave Conference, Technical Programme Committee (TPC) Chair (2019-22)
Host of European Microwave Association Funded Internship (2022 - present)
Member of EPSRC Peer Review College
Regular reviewer for IEEE Transactions on MTT, AP, TST, VT, IE / Proceedings of the IEEE / IEEE MWCL / IEEE AWPL / IET Microwaves, Antennas & Propagation / Electronics Letters / Journal of Micromechanics & Microengineering / Physica C / Superconductor Science & Technology / Sensors
Regularly serving on technical committees of international conferences: EUMC, EUCAP, IMFW, LAPC, IEEE MTT-S IMWS-AMP, UCMMT, iWEM, ICMMT, CICMT, IWS, IMFW
External PhD examinations: UCL, Manchester, Sheffield, Liverpool, Surrey, Kent, Lancaster, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) Sweden
Member of the China Institute Board, UoB

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Nie, B, Lu, H, Skaik, T & Wang, Y 2023, 'A 3D-printed sub-terahertz metallic surface-wave Luneburg lens multi-beam antenna', IEEE Transactions on Terahertz Science and Technology , pp. 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1109/TTHZ.2023.3242227

Mahmud, RH, Salih, IH, Shang, X, Skaik, T & Wang, Y 2023, 'A filtering waveguide aperture antenna based on all-resonator structures', Microwave and Optical Technology Letters, vol. 65, no. 8, pp. 2378-2383. https://doi.org/10.1002/mop.33706

Mahmud, RH, Jarjees, RS, Yu, Y, Nugoolcharoenlap, E, Skaik, T, Attallah, MM & Wang, Y 2023, 'A monolithically printed filtering waveguide aperture antenna', IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, pp. 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1109/LAWP.2023.3235275

Sun, L, Lu, Y, Xu, L, You, Y, Xu, J, Wang, Y & Huang, J 2023, 'All-Metal Phased Array with Full Polarization Reconfigurability', IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation. https://doi.org/10.1109/TAP.2023.3244004

Wu, Y, Alkaraki, S, Tang, S, Wang, Y & Kelly, JR 2023, 'Circuits and Antennas Incorporating Gallium-Based Liquid Metal', Proceedings of the IEEE, pp. 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1109/JPROC.2023.3285400

Qian, L, Martinez, R, Salek, M, Skaik, T, Attallah, M & Wang, Y 2023, 'Compact Monolithic 3D-Printed Wideband Filters Using Pole-Generating Resonant Irises', IEEE Journal of Microwaves, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 1028-1039. https://doi.org/10.1109/JMW.2023.3271433

Kamble, H, Salek, M, Wang, X, Celep, M, Stokes, D, Skinner, J & Wang, Y 2023, 'D-Band Thin-Film Resistive Line Bolometer as Transfer Standard', IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques. https://doi.org/10.1109/TMTT.2023.3269535

Skaik, T, Salek, M, Hunyor, P, Wang, H, Huggard, PG, Wilson, PF, Williams, MA & Wang, Y 2023, 'Evaluation of 3D printed monolithic G-band waveguide components', IEEE Transactions on Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology. https://doi.org/10.1109/TCPMT.2023.3243002

Qian, L, Baskaran, Y, Krödel, M, España, CM, Pambaguian, L, Skaik, T & Wang, Y 2023, 'Lightweight, High-Q and High Temperature Stability Microwave Cavity Resonators Using Carbon-Fiber Reinforced Silicon-Carbide Ceramic Composite', IEEE Journal of Microwaves. https://doi.org/10.1109/JMW.2023.3305180

Wu, Y, Tang, S, Churm, J & Wang, Y 2023, 'Liquid Metal-Based Tunable Linear Phase Shifters With Low Insertion Loss, High Phase Resolution, and Low Dispersion', IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques. https://doi.org/10.1109/TMTT.2023.3248954

Skaik, T, Wang, Y, Salek, M, Hunyor, P, Wang, H, Huggard, P, Starke, T, Attallah, M & Martinez, R 2022, 'A 3D printed 300 GHz waveguide cavity filter by micro laser sintering', IEEE Transactions on Terahertz Science and Technology, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 274-281. https://doi.org/10.1109/TTHZ.2022.3147042

Qian, L, Wang, Y, Li, S, Mohamed, AEMA, Attallah, MM, Skaik, T, Booth, P, Pambaguian, L, Espana, CM & Mart, P 2022, 'A Narrowband 3-D Printed Invar Spherical Dual-Mode Filter With High Thermal Stability for OMUXs', IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, vol. 70, no. 4, pp. 2165-2173. https://doi.org/10.1109/TMTT.2022.3152795

Conference contribution

Qian, L, Hayward, E, Salek, M, Liu, Z, Vihinen, J & Wang, Y 2023, 3-D Printed Monolithic Dielectric Waveguide Filter Using LCM Technique. in 2022 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Workshop Series on Advanced Materials and Processes for RF and THz Applications (IMWS-AMP)., 10106895, IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Workshop Series on Advanced Materials and Processes for RF and THz Applications, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), 2022 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Workshop Series on Advanced Materials and Processes for RF and THz Applications, IMWS-AMP 2022, Guangzhou, China, 12/12/22. https://doi.org/10.1109/IMWS-AMP54652.2022.10106895

Yang, Q, Wang, Y & Gao, S 2022, 20 GHz dual-polarized array antenna with low cross-polarization and high gain. in 2021 51st European Microwave Conference (EuMC). European Microwave Conference, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), pp. 538-541, 51st European Microwave Conference, EuMC 2021, London, United Kingdom, 4/04/22. https://doi.org/10.23919/EuMC50147.2022.9784323

Skaik, T, Salek, M, Wang, Y, Huggard, PG, Hunyor, P, Wang, H & Reuter, K 2022, A 300 GHz Waveguide Cavity Filter Fabricated by 3D Screen Printing Technology. in 2022 52nd European Microwave Conference (EuMC). European Microwave Conference, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), pp. 302-305, 52nd European Microwave Conference, EuMC 2022, Milan, Italy, 27/09/22. https://doi.org/10.23919/EuMC54642.2022.9924503

View all publications in research portal