Click here to go to our microwave events page
Who is the IEEE? From their web site... The IEEE name was originally an acronym for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. Today, the organization's scope of interest has expanded into so many related fields, that it is simply referred to by the letters I-E-E-E (pronounced Eye-triple-E).
For microwave engineers, you won't find a better source of information than the IEEE. However, some of the articles and presentations can be quite tedious as authors compete to show how smart they are. So there will always be a place for web sites such as Microwaves101 to dumb down the subject, spice it up and make it less painful than stepping on a rusty nail...
IEEE Explore and copyright restrictions on IEEE papers
The IEEE has a great web site where most of their articles are archived, it's called IEEExplore. You (or your company) need to join the IEEE before you can use it. Click here to go to IEEE Explore.
The terms of use are very specific, you should read them. Many engineers think it's OK to download articles to their hard drives, then email them to each other or put them in electronic collections on a server. Guess what? You are not supposed to do that! Microwaves101 tries to respect copywrited material, so you won't see us offering any of their articles as downloads. But we might quote them from time to time....
One exception to this is the Journal of Microwaves, which is published "open access". That means you don't need to pay to read it, and you don't need to be an IEEE member.
IEEE MTT-S
The Microwave Theory and Technology Society (MTT-S) is a subgroup within the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Although we might target the IEEE with so-called humor here at Microwaves101, we have to give them respect for holding the world's repository of all electronics knowledge, including all things microwave. The collection of papers on the IEEE site go back at least to 1960. So why not just go to IEEE instead of Microwaves101? Two reasons: first, all of the IEEE papers are written so that you need a solid background in microwave theory to understand them. Some of the papers will give you not much more than a headache. And second, their collection is only accessible if you are a member (which costs money!) Sometimes your employer will pay so that you will have access to this great collection.
The main IEEE MTT-S web site can be accessed by clicking here. Here is the purpose of this organization (we copied it from the MTT-S web site, hope they don't mind):
"The IEEE Microwave Theory and Technology Society (MTT-S) is a transnational society with more than 9,000 members and 80 chapters worldwide. Our society promotes the advancement of microwave theory and its applications, usually at frequencies from 200 MHz to 1 THz and beyond."
If you live in a big U.S. city, chances are there is a local IEEE chapter that organizes seminars and short courses from time to time. U.S. chapters include Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, Santa Clara Valley, San Diego, Denver, Washington DC/Northern VA, Springfield, MA, Melbourne, Florida, Long Island, NY. There are local chapters in many other countries, comrades!
The IEEE Long Island section of MTT has some great lecture notes that you can access for free on their web site! (Click here.) Some especially good notes on noise figure are available for example.
MTT Webinars
If you're an MTT-S member, you've probably seen the emails promoting their webinar series. Good news for everyone: MTT-S now has the webinar library on their site! They've got videos on all levels, from intro to in-depth, and they even have a handy filter at the top of the page that helps you find the exact video you need. Bonus: they'll be adding content regularly, so there will always be something new to learn. These are free to watchi if you're an MTT member, with small charges if you're not.
The IMS Symposium
The "big show" of microwaves is put on by MTT-S every year, it's called the International Microwave Symposium (IMS). Typically 20,000 engineers from all over the world attend for up to a week. As many as 600 microwave vendors advertise their wares in the exhibition hall, and there is a student paper contest, great for recruiting smart college kids and scoring free drinks. For the latest on IMS and other microwave-related events, check out our calendar!
See you there!
IEEE MTT Scholarships and Graduate Fellowships
In their own words...
The purpose of the IEEE Microwave Theory & Technology (MTT) graduate fellowship is to recognize and provide financial assistance to graduate students who show promise and interest in pursuing a graduate degree in microwave engineering.
Up to six $6000 awards may be granted each year. The awards are presented at the International Microwave Symposium (IMS). Limited travel support is available to enable the winners to attend the IMS.
Update!! MTT now offers up to a dozen fellowships, and several undergraduation scholarships. For more information please visit: http://www.mtt.org/students