RF Plasma Circuits and Antennas

Plasma technology is widely used in various applications such as lighting, semiconductor manufacturing, and food processing. Recently, there have been significant developments in using plasma technology in high-frequency electronics, ranging from RF to millimeter-wave bands. This talk aims to explore the latest advancements in this field and discuss the benefits, challenges, and application space of plasma-based devices in RF technology. During this talk, we will focus on the use of cold plasma as a tunable material for varactors, switches, and variable resistors. These devices are of particular interest in high-power applications, such as radar, radio transmission, and satellite communication, where signal control is required at the transmit side. In addition, these devices are useful for protecting sensitive circuits. We will present several proof-of-concept devices, including plasma tunable resonators, limiters, and switches. We will also explore the potential of plasma technology in plasma antennas, reviewing both gas and solid-state implementations. Furthermore, we will discuss the exciting potential to create widely tunable antenna elements for reconfigurable plasma antenna array systems.