EMLab

2021-11-09 10.27.02

2021-11-09 10.22.16

2021-11-09 11.02.36

2021-11-09 10.29.40

2021-11-09 10.52.00

2021-11-09 10.35.34

2021-11-09 10.39.25

2021-11-09 11.06

Mission Statement

The EMLab was founded to develop revolutionary technologies in electronics, electromagnetics, photonics, and digital manufacturing. We are actively developing some of the most ambitious and disruptive technologies happening today. We were the first to automate hybrid direct-write 3D printing, giving us the unique capability to make complicated multi-material parts composed of metals, plastics, and other materials.  We are using this to explore 3D and conformal circuits, new antennas, metamaterials, metasurfaces, frequency selective surfaces, photonic crystals and more. We have designed, manufactured, and tested devices from radio frequencies up to optical frequencies. Our research interests also include numerical algorithms, spatially variant lattices, device simulations, optimizations, and more.

Our Research Areas

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SVL Logo

Spatially Variant Lattice

EMLab Capabilities

The EMLab is fully equipped to design, manufacture, and test paradigm-changing electrical and electromagnetic devices.  Our capabilities begin with a world-class suite of design, optimization, and simulation tools that are being used to make new discoveries and breakthroughs across the frequency spectrum.  Our specialized tools include simulation methods specifically tailored for dielectric devices, a custom 3D circuit layout, and routing tool, and a custom slicer software capable of processing CAD files for hybrid printing, conformal printing, off-axis printing, and printing of functionally-graded materials. 

The EMLab manufacturing capabilities include numerous 3D printers and assembly stations. Two of these printers are advanced hybrid systems that can build parts containing metals, plastics, and many other types of materials. Additional tools and processes are also available including high-power lasers, pick-and-place, milling, and others. The EMLab is the only lab in the world with the combined software and printing hardware to build three-dimensional parts with an arbitrary distribution of metals, plastics, and other materials.  This capability is being used to explore many kinds of 3D circuits and electromagnetic devices. 

The EMLab also maintains a powerful suite of characterization and testing facilities including an anechoic chamber for free space antenna and frequency selective surface measurements, and multiple fixtures for measuring electromagnetic properties of materials including loss tangent, permittivity, permeability, and anisotropy.

To view a complete list of specific EMLab capabilities, including manufacturing and test equipment parameters, please visit the EMLAB Capabilities page.

The EMLab Team

Dr. Ubaldo Robles

Principal Research Engineer

Dr. Robles in an expert in 3D printing and was the first to automate direct-write hybrid 3D printing. He leads 3D printing efforts in 3D circuits, electromagnetic devices, 3D printable materials, and more. Dr. Robles in active in mentoring new students, outreach activities, business development, and management of the EMLab.

Edgar Bustamante

Research Assistant

Edgar has an extreme talent for computation and simulation. He is developing specialized simulation, optimization, and visualization tools specifically tailored for 3D electromagnetic devices. He is active in finite element method (FEM), finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) and finite-difference frequency-domain (FDFD).

Gilbert Carranza

Research Assistant

Gilbert is developing CAD tools for 3D circuits and hybrid 3D printing. He developed the first-ever 3D circuit layout tool that allows components to be placed at any position and orientation, and interconnects can be routed through all three dimensions following smooth splines or any user-defined path. Gilbert is also active in developing software for advanced slicing and hybrid 3D printing.

Asad Ullah Hil Gulib

Graduate Researcher/Teaching Assistant

Gulib is developing advanced algorithms for generating complex three-dimensional spatially-variant anisotropic metamaterials for use in 3D printed electromagnetic systems. He is also working on scattering from complex media and incorporating this into computational electromagnetic methods.

Dr. Jesus J. Gutierrez

Graduate Research Assistant

Dr. Guiterrez focused his reasearch on exploring spatially-variant photonic crystals to independently control different aspects of a wave or beam. This included power, phase, and polarization. Jesus also has great interest in graphics and visualization for education and outreach.

Manuel F. Martinez

Graduate Research Assistant

Manuel’s research is focused on exploring advanced electromagnetic devices enabled by digital manufacturing. His work included a radically miniaturized integrating sphere, algorithms for hybrid 3D printing, and most recently exploring volumetric elements for metasurfaces.

Noel P. Martinez

Research Assistant

Noel is exploring spatially-variant self-collimating photonic crystals for multiple applications including routing of light, photon funnels, and lattices with multiplexed functionality.

Cesar L. Valle

Research Assistant & EM Lab Manager

Cesar's research is focused on design and manufacturing methods for 3D circuits and electromagnetic devices. Cesar was a key member of the team that developed and demonstrated the first-ever 3D/volumetric circuit that was manufactured using an automated direct-write hybrid 3D printing process. He adapted the EMLab's SVL algorithm to form periodic structures onto doubly-curved surfaces. He demonstrated this with a frequency selective surface on a sharply curved dome.

Sarah C. Manzano

Research Assistant

Sarah's research is focused on advanced 3D-printed antenna designs that fully exploit the added design freedom offered by 3D printing. Her goal is to develop and demonstrate an antenna operating closer to the fundamental limits than anything previous.

Jose Avila

Research Assistant

Jose’s research focus is all-dielectric frequency selective surfaces (FSSs) on doubly-curved surfaces. This work includes electromagnetic device simulation, optimization, and measurement. He uses optimization algorithms to design the FSSs and uses the spatially-variant lattice algorithm to put the structures on curved surfaces in a way that preserves the electromagnetic performance.