UWB signal sources, antennas and propagation

This paper discusses the history of ultra-wideband (UWB) wireless and considers spectrum issues. It deals with UWB signal sources, including step, impulse, monocycle and RF pulses. It introduces new NLTL technology which can generate 6 V, 4 ps pulses and which could be used for 10 Gbit/s, millimeter wave, UWB wireless LAN. Several UWB antennas are presented including conical, TEM horn, D*dot, monopole and waveguide horn. Experimental proof is given that UWB free space propagation is not wavelength-dependent.

UWB HISTORY

World-wide interest in Ultra-Wide-Band (UWB) wireless has increased greatly with the release in Feb., 2002 by the FCC of their first authorization for UWB. The early history of UWB really dates back 100 years to the birth of radio. The earliest spark radio transmitters were in reality UWB with spark generated impulse excitation of a resonant antenna. The more current history of UWB wireless dates to the 60s & 70s with pioneering work done by Dr. Gerald Ross and Dr. H.F. Harmuth.