Behzad Razavi
Professor, Electrical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles. Ph.D. - Stanford.


Hooman Darabi
Senior Technical Director and Fellow at Broadcom. Ph.D. - UCLA.


RF (Radio Frequency) electronics is a sub-field of electrical engineering that deals with the design, analysis, and operation of electronic circuits and systems that operate at radio frequencies. RF electronics involves the use of specialized components and techniques to design and build electronic systems that can transmit and receive radio signals.

One of the key areas of study in RF electronics is RF circuit design. This includes the study of circuit elements, such as resistors, capacitors, and inductors, and their behavior at radio frequencies. It also includes the study of RF circuit topologies, such as amplifiers, filters, and oscillators, and the design of RF circuits using computer-aided design (CAD) tools.

Another important area of study in RF electronics is RF signal processing. This includes the study of techniques for modulating and demodulating radio signals, such as amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), and phase modulation (PM). It also includes the study of techniques for digital signal processing (DSP) of radio signals, such as filtering, modulation, and error correction.

A third area of study in RF electronics is RF system design. This includes the study of the overall design of RF systems, such as the selection of components, the layout of the circuit board, and the integration of the RF circuit with other subsystems. It also includes the study of RF system-level issues, such as interference, noise, and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC).

A fourth area of study in RF electronics is RF measurements. This includes the study of techniques for measuring the performance of RF circuits and systems, such as network analysis, spectrum analysis, and modulation analysis. It also includes the study of RF test equipment, such as signal generators, spectrum analyzers, and network analyzers.

A fifth area of study in RF electronics is RF communication systems. This includes the study of the principles of wireless communication, such as modulation, coding, and multiplexing. It also includes the study of wireless communication systems, such as cellular networks, WiFi, and satellite communication systems.

A sixth area of study in RF electronics is RF antenna design. This includes the study of the principles of antenna theory and the design of antennas for different applications. It also includes the study of the characteristics of antennas such as gain, directivity, and radiation pattern, and the design of antennas using computer-aided design (CAD) tools.

A seventh area of study in RF electronics is RF power amplifiers. This includes the study of the principles of RF power amplifiers, such as class-A, class-B, class-C amplifiers, and their design and optimization. It also includes the study of RF power amplifier linearization techniques, such as predistortion, and the design of RF power amplifiers for different applications.

An eight area of study in RF electronics is RF integrated circuits (ICs) and RF microelectronics. This includes the study of the design, fabrication, and characterization of RF ICs, such as RF transceivers and RF power amplifiers, and the integration of RF circuits and subsystems on a single chip. It also includes the study of the design and optimization of RF microelectronics systems, such as RF front-end modules and RF SoCs (System-on-a-Chip).

Overall, RF electronics is a sub-field of electrical engineering that deals with the design, analysis, and operation of electronic circuits and systems that operate at radio frequencies. RF electronics plays a critical role in the development of wireless communication systems, RF sensing and imaging systems, and many other RF-based technologies.