Inauguration of Anechoic Chamber Rf & Microwave Research Laboratory Facility 20 May 2018, Sunday

(Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering

Faculty of Engineering, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bangalore)

The ECE Department has a rich tradition in research and teaching. The research interests of the faculty members of the department encompass the wide area of applied and fundamental aspects of ECE. Collaboration in between the research groups of the department and with other departments is also a practice. It cultivates research aptitude among members through three major verticals RF & Communication, Signal Processing & Optical Imaging and Embedded Systems & VLSI.

The Anechoic Chamber is an emergence of the efforts of Dr S Suganthi (whose majority of career life time experience being in the RF & Microwave field) to explore the  ambient energy harvestment using microstrip antennas (rectennas), innovation in fractal, metamaterial antennas, implantable antennas, filters & other MIC components.

With her gained confidence through the stay at ISRO Satellite Centre as Project Trainee for her post graduate project work and the exposure to various sophisticated satellite communication related instruments available over there, further, the  contacts and visits made to TCE-Madurai, IIT – Kharagpur IISc, NAL, ISRO CATF- Bangalore, NIT-Trichy, DIAT-DRDO-Pune, NTU-Singapore for witnessing the structure and facilities of Anechoic Chamber, the Anechoic Chamber at Faculty of Engineering has been established. Her venturing dream was liberally supported by CHRIST management to fund and henceforth a state-of-the-art research laboratory has come to reality today.

The RF & Microwave is a Research Laboratory established in the ECE Department which caters researchers to explore the field of wireless communication with respect to conventional, planar antennas and RF systems including investigations on meta materials, fractals, biological effects, implantable & energy harvestment.

This is first of its kind got established newly at our University amidst all the other engineering institutions and private universities existing across Karnataka state. 

 This Research Laboratory provides a complete platform for simulation of various antenna designs using HFSS EM simulator version 18.2. The components and antennas designed through software or conventional methods can be fabricated as prototype model using PCB prototyping machine. This machine is capable of engraving, drilling and cutting the shapes of the designed antennas and components using substrate boards such as FR4, Roger etc.

The experimental verification and validation of such antennas, components & RF systems can be carried out using the state-of-the-art measuring instruments such as Vector Network Analyzer in the 1 MHz- 40 GHz, Spectrum Analyzer in the 9 kHz – 43 GHz and Anechoic Chamber measuring a size of 7m x 4m x 3m for frequency coverage of 800 MHz- 40 GHz. The long term goal is to develop this laboratory as a center of excellence for microwaves.

The GRAND INAUGURATION OF THIS ANECHOIC CHAMBER was celebrated on 20 May 2018. The chief guest of convocation ceremony Dr Souvik Bhatacharyya, Vice Chancellor, BITS Pilani and the eminent personalities of our University Dr Fr George Edayadiyil, CMI, Chancellor, Dr Fr Abraham V M, CMI, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Dr Anil Joseph Pinto, Registrar, Prof. Johny Joseph, Controller of Examinations, Dr Fr Benny Thomas, Director, FoE and Mr Jugnu Uberoi, First batch Alumnus(CHRIST) & President, Christ University's Alumni Association visited the research laboratory along with Dr Iven Jose, Associate Dean, FoE and Heads of departments of CSE/IT, Civil, ECE, EEE, Mech, HAS and Architecture for the inauguration and blessed.

Further, our Reverent Dr. Fr. Thomas C. Mathew, Vice Chancellor visited the anechoic chamber on 30 June 2018 along with Fr. Antony Puthussery, Campus Director and offered his best blessings.

Followed by this incident, all the faculty members of the department of ECE were invited to witness the full-fledged facility of the anechoic chamber on 04 July 2018.

This was exclusively done with a view to keep them aware of the entire facilities for any collaborative works and also to take inspiration for their academic and research blends. The UG, PG & PhD scholars of the department were also taken to the laboratory to understand the benefits. 

Dr S Suganthi also creates interest in younger minds through inculcating research culture in the department. There are antenna aspirants who have joined her venture as a team of members comprising co-principal investigators, subject specialized faculty members, research assistant, research scholars and project students.