The city of Cuenca hosted the XXXIX National Symposium of the International Union of Radio Science (URSI), one of the most important events in the field of telecommunications in Spain. In this edition, the research groups Antennas and Propagation Lab (APL) and the Microwave Applications Group (GAM) from the Institute of Telecommunications and Multimedia Applications (iTEAM) at the Universitat Politècnica de València had a prominent participation, presenting innovative research and contributing to various sessions of the conference.
The participation of the Antennas and Propagation Lab (APL) was particularly significant due to the invited plenary lecture by its director and founder, Miguel Ferrando Bataller. In his talk titled “Modal Methods in Electromagnetism,” Ferrando Bataller reviewed the most important advances in this field, highlighting the milestones of his career and his influence on antenna design through characteristic modes, a contribution recognized worldwide.
This symposium was also especially meaningful for GAM, as it was held under the leadership of the Microwave, Millimeter Wave, and Antenna Applications Group (GAMMA), a team with which GAM has a close and longstanding collaboration. The partnership between the two groups made this edition of URSI particularly memorable.
GAM presented a series of research works focused on the development of advanced technologies to improve future communications, including solutions addressing emerging needs in the sector. Notable topics included:
- Development of compact low-loss diplexers and transitions in Empty Substrate Integrated Waveguide technology, by Laura Rivero and David Herraiz.
- Metallization techniques for additive manufacturing materials and their application in antenna design, by Carmen Bachiller and Álvaro Ferrer.
- Reconfigurable devices based on liquid crystals using Microstrip Ridge Gap Waveguide technologies, by Carmen Bachiller and Aleksandr Voronov.
- Design of a diplexer in Empty Substrate Integrated Waveguide technology, by David Herraiz, Héctor Esteban, Ángel Belenguer, and Vicente Boria.
- 3D-printed cavity reflectors for sub-6 GHz 5G antenna arrays, by Álvaro Ferrer, Jaume Molins, Carmen Bachiller, Miguel Ferrando, Aleksandr Voronov, and Luis N. Ponce-González.
- A Novel Reconfigurable Resonator based on Microstrip Ridge Gap Waveguide using Liquid Crystal, by Aleksandr Voronov, Vicente Nova, Álvaro Ferrer, Carmen Bachiller, and Vicente Boria.
- Coaxial to Empty Substrate Integrated Waveguide Transition for Small Satellite Technology, by Laura Rivero, David Herraiz, Héctor Esteban, Santiago Cogollos, and Vicente Boria.
- Characterization of high-frequency conductivity in additive manufacturing materials, by Vicente Nova, Carmen Bachiller, Álvaro Ferrer, Aleksandr Voronov, Luis N. Ponce-González, Lluc Sempere, Mirko Kunowsky, and Asunción Martínez-García.
APL also presented several research works addressing key topics for modern communications:
- Design of a diplexer and a triplexer for the Ka-band in Half-Mode Groove Gap Waveguide, by Stephan Marini, Miguel Ferrando-Rocher, Encarnación Gimeno, Pablo Soto, Alejandro Jorge-López, and Vicente E. Boria.
- Analysis of the influence of passengers on millimeter-wave wireless communications in a metro train, by Juan Lorenzo Pascual García, José María Molina García Pardo, Leandro Juan Llácer, Lorenzo Rubio Arjona, Vicent Miquel Rodrigo Peñarrocha, and Juan Reig Pascual.
- The K-factor in a laboratory environment at millimeter waves: estimation and impact on capacity in MIMO systems, by Lorenzo Rubio Arjona, Vicent Miquel Rodrigo Peñarrocha, Juan Reig Pascual, Jesús Ramón Pérez López, Rafael Pedro Torres Jiménez, and Luis Valle López.
- High-gain tilted beam slot arrays fabricated by additive manufacturing in the Ka-band, by José Ignacio Herranz Herruzo, Alejandro Valero Noguera, and Miguel Ferrando Rocher.
- Design of power dividers in different implementations of Groove Gap Waveguide for the millimeter-wave band, by Álvaro Martín-Núñez, Miguel Ferrando-Rocher, and José Ignacio Herranz-Herruzo.
- M-port rotationally symmetric antennas for advanced MIMO applications, by Rubén Aldana, Jaime Molins-Benlliure, Youness Akazzim, Anibal Llanga Vargas, Marc Jofre-Cruanyes, Marta Cabedo-Fabrés, Eva Antonino-Daviu, Jordi Romeu-Robert, Miguel Ferrando-Bataller, and Luis Jofre-Roca.
- A 24 GHz metallic Leaky-Wave antenna with semi-mode feed in Gap Waveguide technology, by Miguel Ferrando Rocher, José Ignacio Herranz Herruzo, and José Luis Gomez Tornero.
- Electromagnetic induction and wireless charging: experimental characterization, by Víctor Rubio-Jiménez, Miguel Ferrando-Bataller, and Marta Cabedo-Fabrés.
- Optimization of antenna distribution in a massive MIMO indoor system, by Álvaro Santiago Gómez, Jesús Ramón Pérez López, Rafael Pedro Torres Jiménez, Luis Valle López, Lorenzo Rubio Arjona, Vicent Miquel Rodrigo Peñarrocha, and Juan Reig Pascual.
- Mechanical phase shifter for symmetric beam steering antennas in SOTM applications, by Miguel Ángel Fuentes-Pascual, Javier Vera-Sánchez, José Ignacio Herranz-Herruzo, Miguel Ferrando-Rocher, Alejandro Valero-Noguera, and Mariano Baquero-Escudero.
The participation of the APL and GAM groups in the URSI National Symposium in Cuenca underscores their leadership in research and technological development in the telecommunications field. Both groups continue to provide innovative solutions that address the demands of an ever-evolving sector, highlighting their commitment to scientific excellence and their contribution to the advancement of future communication technologies.