When designing RF/microwave filters, especial attention is commonly paid to the obtaining of high-selectivity filtering responses with sharp-rejection characteristics and high in-band amplitude flatness. Nevertheless, this generally involves high in-band group-delay variations, which may be prohibitive in some applications, such as digital communication scenarios due to inter-symbol interference issues. The purpose of this talk is to present recent advances in the development of RF/microwave filters featuring quasi-flat group-delay response beyond their 3-dB transmission bands and transmission zeros in their out-of-band regions. For all these RF filters with beyond-transmission-band flat group delay, experimental results of manufactured proof-of-concept prototypes are shown.

Biography:

Roberto Gómez-García (Fellow, IEEE) received the Telecommunication Engineer and Ph.D. degrees from the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain, in 2001 and 2006, respectively. He is currently a Full Professor at the Department of Signal Theory and Communications, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain. His current research interests include the design of fixed/tunable high-frequency filters and multiplexers in planar, hybrid, and monolithic microwave-integrated circuit technologies, multifunction circuits and systems, software-defined radio and radar architectures for telecommunications, remote sensing, and biomedical applications, and displacement RF sensors. In these topics, he has authored/co-authored 160 papers in international journals and 180 papers in international conferences.

Dr. Gómez-García serves as a member of the Technical Review Board for several IEEE and EuMA conferences. He is also a member of the IEEE MTT-S Filters (MTT-5), the IEEE MTT-S RF MEMS and Microwave Acoustics (MTT-6), the IEEE MTT-S Wireless Communications (MTT-23), the IEEE MTT-S Biological Effects and Medical Applications of RF and Microwave (MTT-28), and the IEEE CAS-S Analog Signal Processing Technical Committees. He was a recipient of the 2016 IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S) Outstanding Young Engineer Award. He was an IEEE CAS-S Distinguished Lecturer (2020-2022). He was an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques from 2012 to 2016, the IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems-I: Regular Papers from 2012 to 2015, the IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters from 2018 to 2020, as well as other journals such as IEEE Access, IET Microwaves, Antennas, and Propagation, and the International Journal of Microwave and Wireless Technologies. He was a Senior Editor of the IEEE Journal on Emerging and Selected Topics in Circuits and Systems from 2016 to 2017 and the MTT-S Newsletter Working Group Chair from 2019 to 2021. He was a Guest Editor for several Special/Focus Issues and Sections in IEEE and IET Journals. Currently, he is the Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Microwave and Wireless Technology Letters, Associate Editor of the IEEE Journal of Electromagnetics, RF and Microwaves in Medicine and Biology, Senior Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems-I: Regular Papers, TC-5 Topic Editor of the IEEE Journal of Microwaves, and editorial board member of Electromagnetic Science.

The design of RF and microwave systems has traditionally been grounded in physics-based models, analytical techniques, and engineering intuition. While this approach has enabled decades of innovation, the increasing complexity of modern wireless systems is pushing conventional design methodologies to their limits.  With the emerging role of machine learning and artificial intelligence, AI-driven approaches are enabling new ways to explore design spaces, accelerate development, and uncover solutions beyond traditional intuition. By combining physics-based understanding with data-driven intelligence, a new generation of hybrid design methodologies is emerging. These approaches open the door to AI-assisted and eventually self-optimizing RF systems, where devices, circuits, and algorithms are co-designed in a unified framework. This talk will discuss recent advances, key challenges, and future opportunities in this rapidly evolving field, highlighting how AI may fundamentally reshape the way RF systems are designed and implemented.

Biography:

Anding Zhu received the Ph.D. degree in electronic engineering from University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland, in 2004, where he is currently a Full Professor in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. His research interests include high-frequency nonlinear system modelling, device characterization, high-efficiency RF power amplifier design, and nonlinear system identification algorithms. He has published more than 200 peer-reviewed journal and conference papers.

Prof. Zhu is an IEEE Fellow and currently serves as the President of the IEEE Microwave Theory and Technology Society (MTT-S).