Feza Turgay Çelik

The dense hardware integration of next-generation wireless networks has converted active phased array engineering from a purely electromagnetic discipline into a highly coupled electro-thermal joint problem. High operational power densities and the low efficiency of active RF front-ends cause severe localized heat accumulation, creating a dynamic feedback loop that alters power amplifier (PA) performance and destabilizes beamforming integrity. This seminar presents a comprehensive analysis of these multi-physical trade-offs, structured around three foundational research pillars. First, a holistic five-stage iterative electro-thermal framework based on a power-wave formulation is presented, demonstrating how device self-heating, antenna mismatch, mutual coupling, and beam-scanning affect side-lobe level (SLL), radiation pattern, and maximum radiated power. Second, to bypass the computational load of traditional numerical thermal solvers, a physics-assisted antenna-level Compact Thermal Model (CTM) is introduced. This model positions the radiator as an active heat-exchange component and establishes a novel, flux-based, power-independent metric, the Antenna Cooling Factor (ACF), to quantify and compare the intrinsic dissipation efficacy of diverse topologies in near-real time. Finally, the talk details the physical realization of dual-functional antenna and array architectures optimized under concurrent electromagnetic and thermal constraints. These include three-dimensional (3D) finned heatsink antennas combined with Complementary Split-Ring Resonator (CSRR) isolation walls for space-wave decoupling and bandwidth extension, alongside manufacturing-friendly 2.5D cavity-backed designs with slotted metallic sidewalls that nearly double the absolute power-handling threshold of active systems.

Biography:

Feza Turgay Celik received the B.Sc. degrees in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and Physics from Middle East Technical University, Ankara,
Turkey, in 2017 and 2018, respectively. He completed his M.Sc. degree at the same university in 2020, where his studies focused on the design of multiple-beam antennas. Since 2022, he has been pursuing a Ph.D. degree with the MS3 Group at Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands. His current research interests include thermal modeling of antenna elements for active phased arrays and joint electro-thermal modeling of power amplifiers. He is also interested in antenna design with dual electromagnetic–thermal functionality. Mr. Celik was the recipient of the EuMA Internship Award in 2023, which supported his research stay at Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden.