Research

Extreme-parameters Metamaterials

Metamaterials, as specially designed structures, provide useful platforms to manipulate and sculpt the waves and fields with unprecedented functionalities. We mainly study the properties and related phenomena of extreme-parameter composites, such as epsilon-near-zero (ENZ), mu-near-zero (MNZ), and epsilon-and-mu-near-zero (EMNZ) structures.

To learn more:

I. Liberal*, A. Mahmoud*, Y. Li*, B. Edwards, and N. Engheta, ‘Photonic Doping of Epsilon-Near-Zero Media’, Science, Vol. 355, Issue 6329, pp. 1158-1062, March 10, 2017. (*These authors contributed equally to this work.)
Liberal I, Li Y, Engheta N. 2017 Magnetic field concentration assisted by epsilon-near-zero media. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 375: 20160059.
Yue Li and Nader Engheta, ‘Supercoupling of surface waves with ε-near-zero metastructures’, Physical Review B, 90, 201107(R) (2014).

Metatronics: metamaterial-inspired circuits

Optical metatronics, as the nanoscale optical circuit paradigm with modularized (“lumped”) optical circuit elements, brings the notion of electronic circuitry into the field of nanophotonics. This allows modularization of light-matter interaction at the nanoscale and provides methodologies and approaches to design nanocircuity following the state-or-art technologies for circuit design. We also study the microwave test-bed for optical metatronics.

To learn more:

Y. Li, I. Liberal, C. Della Giovampaola, N. Engheta, Waveguide metatronics: Lumped circuitry based on structural dispersion. Sci. Adv. 2, e1501790 (2016).
Yue Li, Inigo Liberal, and Nader Engheta, "Dispersion synthesis with multi-ordered metatronic filters", Opt. Express 25, 1937-1948 (2017).
Yue Li, Inigo Liberal, and Nader Engheta, ‘Metatronic Analogues of the Wheatstone Bridge’, J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 33, A72-A79 (2016).

MmW arrays and antenna in package

For microwave and millimeter commnucations, antenna arrays with high gain is studied by using various fabrication processes of PCB, CMOS, LTCC. In order to achieve wider bandwidth rather than uisng high-permittivity materials in the tranditional processes, MEMS process with air cavity are developed to design mmw array up to 300 GHz for low loss.

To learn more:

Le Chang, Zhijun Zhang, Yue Li, Shaodong Wang, and Zhenghe Feng: ‘Air-Filled Long Slot Leaky-Wave Antenna Based on Folded Half-Mode Waveguide Using MEMS Silicon Bulk Micromachining Technology for Millimeter-Wave Band’, IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., vol. 65. No. 7, pp. 3409-3418, Jul. 2017.
Peiqin Liu, Yue Li, Zhijun Zhang, Shaodong Wang, and Zhenghe Feng: ‘A Fixed-Beam Leaky-Wave Cavity Backed Slot Antenna Manufactured by Bulk Silicon MEMS Technology’, IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., vol. 65. No. 9, pp. 4399-4405, Sep. 2017.
Yue Li, Zhi Ning Chen, Xianming Qing, Zhijun Zhang, Junfeng Xu and Zhenghe Feng: ‘Axial Ratio Bandwidth Enhancement of 60-GHz Substrate Integrated Waveguide-Fed Circularly Polarized LTCC Antenna Array’, IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., vol. 60, No. 10, pp. 4619-4626, Oct, 2012.
Yue Li, Magdy Iskander, Zhijun Zhang, and Zhenghe Feng, ‘A New Low Cost Leaky Wave Coplanar Waveguide Continuous Transverse Stub Antenna Array using Metamaterial-based Phase Shifters for Beam Steering’, IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., vol. 61, No. 7, pp. 3511-3518, Jul. 2013.

Mobile and handset antennas

Wideband, multi-band antennas with compact dimension and high efficiency for mobile terminals. By controlling the multi-ordered modes of loop, inverted-F, slot antennas, the operating bands of 2G/3G/4G communications can be covered with good efficiency. In order to reduced dimensions, different reconfigurable techniques are utilized to switch the operating modes of the antenna.

To learn more:

Yue Li, Zhijun Zhang, Jianfeng Zheng, Zhenghe Feng, and Magdy Iskander: ‘A Compact Hepta-band Loop-Inverted F Reconfigurable Antenna for Mobile Phone’, IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., vol. 60, No. 1, pp. 389-392, Jan. 2012.
Yue Li, Zhijun Zhang, Jianfeng Zheng, and Zhenghe Feng: ‘Compact Heptaband Reconfigurable Loop Antenna for Mobile Handset’, IEEE Antennas Wireless Propag. Lett., vol. 10, pp. 1162-1165, 2011.
Changjiang Deng, Yue Li, Zhijun Zhang, and Zhenghe Feng: ‘A Novel Low-Profile Hepta-band Handset Antenna Using Modes Controlling Method’, IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., vol. 63. No. 2, pp. 799-804, Feb. 2015.
Changjiang Deng, Yue Li, Zhijun Zhang, and Zhenghe Feng: ‘Planar Printed Multi-resonant Antenna for Octa-Band WWAN/LTE Mobile Handset’, IEEE Antennas Wireless Propag. Lett., vol. 14, pp. 1734-1737, 2015.

Diversity and MIMO antenna systems

For small-column terminals, dual-polarized antenna is utilized instead of two spacial isolated single-polarized antennas. We studied the dual-polarized diversity and MIMO antenna with 2D or 3D structures. In order to achieve omni-directional pattern in azimuthal plane, the dual polarized antennas are wrapped on a slender columne with high isolation.

To learn more:

Peiqin Liu, Yue Li, Zhijun Zhang, and Zhenghe Feng: ‘Omnidirectional Dual-polarized Antenna with Sabre-like Structure’, IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., vol. 65. No. 6, pp. 3221-3225, Jun. 2017.
Yue Li, Zhijun Zhang, Wenhua Chen, Zhenghe Feng, Magdy Iskander: ‘A Dual-Polarization Slot Antenna using a Compact CPW Feeding Structure’, IEEE Antennas Wireless Propag. Lett., vol. 9, pp 191-194, 2010.
Yue Li, Zhijun Zhang, Wenhua Chen, Zhenghe Feng: ‘Polarization Reconfigurable Slot Antenna with a Novel Compact CPW-to-slotline Transition for WLAN Application’, IEEE Antennas Wireless Propag. Lett., vol. 9, pp. 252-255, 2010.
Yue Li, Zhijun Zhang, Jianfeng Zheng, and Zhenghe Feng: ‘Compact Azimuthal Omnidirectional Dual-polarized Antenna Using Highly Isolated Co-located Slots’, IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., vol. 60, No. 9, pp. 4037-4045, Sep, 2012.