ECE 447 – Active Microwave Circuit Design

Spring 2025

Announcements

  • If you need a refresher on Transmission Line problems, you can refer to the ECE 329 Course Notes.

  • Welcome to the Spring 2025 offering of ECE 447!

Instructor

Instructor: Prof. Xu Chen
Office: 5040 ECEB
E-Mail: xuchen1@illinois.edu
Office Hours: Monday 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Teaching Assistant

TA: Elliot Rubin Luke Hartmann
Office: 5076 ECEB 5076 ECEB
E-Mail: earubin2@illinois.edu lukegh2@illinois.edu
Office Hours: Wednesday 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Tuesday 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Lectures

Days Times Location
M 4:00-5:15 PM 4070 ECEB

Labs

Lab Section: ABA ABB ABC
Time: Wednesday 1-3:50 PM Wednesday 6-8:50 PM Tuesday 6-8:50 PM
Location: 5076 ECEB 5076 ECEB 5076 ECEB

Prerequisites

ECE 329 ECE 350, ECE 453.

Course Goals

The goal of this course is to develop students’ design, analysis, and evaluation skills at microwave frequencies where lumped elements are no longer appropriate. Through problem-solving and design activities, the course will frist review passive device and componets (20%) and then introduce the design and analysis of active microwave circuits (80%), samll signal amplifers, low noise amplifers, power amplifers, and mixers, that constitute wireless communication systems between the antenna and the digital signal processor.

Textbook

Grading Policy

ECE 447
Homework 20%
Lab Attendance and Reports 50%
Final Exam 30%

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to abide by the University of Illinois Student Code.

Any academic integrity violations will result in a FAIR report. Furthermore, the penalty will be as follows:

  • A score of 0 (zero) on the assignment or exam where the academic integrity violation occurred.

  • A second offense results in a grade of F for the course.

The following is a partial list of academic integrity violations for this course:

  • Copying homework or lab reports from other students (working together and discussing is acceptable)

  • Copying homework or lab reports from past solutions

  • Using websites such as Chegg or Course Hero while completing any course assignments or exams

  • Using unauthorized materials or discussing during exams

  • Communicating with any person during exams

  • Discussing the exam with any person within 24 hours of exam completion

  • Not an academic integrity violation: Distributing any course material without authorization. This includes uploading homeworks/solutions and exam solutions to web sites, or sharing these documents with people not enrolled in the course.

    • Although not an academic integrity violation, it is a violation of the law and I will refer you to U.S. Attorney's Office for prosecution under The Digital Millennium Copyright Act.