Barry E. Spielman

Professor


Office: Bryan 221
Tel. (314) 935-6162
email: bes@ese.wustl.edu
     

Education
Syracuse University (Ph.D. 1971)
Pennsylvania State University (B.S. 1967)
Illinois Institute of Technology (B.S. 1964)

Research & Teaching
Applied electromagnetics
Microwave theory and devices
Numerical solution of electromagnetic problems
Genetic algorithms for electromagnetic optimization problems
Electronics packaging

Memberships
IEEE

Awards
Elected 1998-99 President of National Electrical Engineering Department Heads Association
Invited member of IEEE Educational Activities Board Invited member of IEEE
Invited member of IEEE Committee on Engineering Accreditation Activities
Elected Fellow of the IEEE
1995 Education Award by the St. Louis Section of the IEEE
IEEE
N. Walter Cox Award (1988)

  
Professor Spielman joined the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in 1971 as a research electronics engineer in the Microwave Techniques Branch and pursued his career at NRL for 17 years. During this period he was promoted to various positions and ultimately to Head of the Microwave Technology Branch in 1984. In this capacity he led a group of 20 researchers investigating a wide range of microwave semiconductor and superconductor devices and related integrated-circuit components. His personal research involved the development of computer-aided electromagnetic solutions to microwave problems. He served in this position until he left to join the Department of Electrical Engineering at Washington University as Professor and Chair in 1987.

Professor Spielman is currently performing research on the synthesis of microwave packaging features through electromagnetic solutions. This work first involves developing mathematical formulations of 3-dimensional, electromagnetic problems involving arbitrarily-configured conductors and dielectrics. This formulation is then reduced to a computationally useful matrix analysis employing the method of moments. This analysis is then cast as an optimization problem by defining a cost function that incorporates specified performance at generalized ports for the configuration. The optimization is performed by computer to effect a "synthesis" of the desired geometry and/or material configuration.

This work has evolved in a new direction to create an area of research called investigative synthesis. This new direction seeks to generate knowledge about the potential of achieving desired performance levels for various categories of applications using entirely new microwave circuit structures that are not amenable to traditional microwave circuit modeling (e.g. using transmission lines and lumped elements) and are, thereby, less intuitive. Knowledge is generated by the following process. New design classes are first characterized by discrete parameters that represent the new class of microwave structures. The performance levels achievable for the new class are interpreted as samples in a design space and are stored in a database. Information in this databased is then interpreted using techniques from statistics, information theory, and population genetics to organize the generated knowledge.

Spielman has held numerous offices in the IEEE, including President of the IEEE Society on Microwave Theory and Techniques (MTT-S) in 1988. He has served as guest editor of various publications, including special issues of the IEEE Proceedings and the IEEE-MTTS Transactions. He is currently serving as the President of the National Electrical Engineering Department Heads Association (NEEDHA).
 
     

Selected Publications		  
Y. Zhang and B. E. Spielman, "Stability Analysis for Time-Domain Method of Moments Analysis of a One-Dimensional Double-Negative Transmission Line," IEEE Trans. Micr. Th. Techs., Submitted for Publication, 14 pages.

B. E. Spielman, "A Frequency-Differential Representation of Losses to Express Quality Factor in Terms of Reactance-Slope Parameters for Three-Dimensional, Arbitrarily-Shaped Resonators," 2005 IEEE International Microwave Symposium Digest, Longbeach, CA, June 13-17, 2005, 4 pages..

B. E. Spielman,"A Field Theoretic Foundation for the Representation of Quality Factor in Terms of Reactance-Slope Parameters for Electrically-Large, Three-Dimensional, Arbitrarily-Shaped Resonators,"IEEE Trans. Micr. Th. Techs., Vol.52, No. 7, July 2004, pp.1683-92.

Bornholdt, J. M., B. E. Spielman, and L. N. Medgyesi-Mitschang, "Investigative Synthesis of Slot-Notch Antennas Using Genetic Algorithms and Information Theory," Conferfence Digest IEEE AP2000 Millennium Conference on Antennas and Propoagation, Davos Switzerland, 9-14 April 2001.

Bornholdt, J. M. and B. E. Spielman, "Computational Electromagnetic Exploration of B-Spline Shaped Microwave Impedance Matching Circuits Using Evolutionary Algorithms and Information Theory," 1999 IEEE International Microwave Symposium Digest, June 1999, Anaheim, CA, (accepted for publication).

Bornholdt, J. M., and B. E. Spielman, "Investigative Synthesis of Resistive Sheet Transmission Line Terminations by an Evolutionary Algorithm," 1998 Asia-Pacific Microwave Conference Proceedings, vol. 2, December 8-11, 1998, Yokohama, Japan, pp. 979-982.

B.E. Spielman and L.G. Chen, "A Full-Wave Analysis for Microwave, Planar, Distributed Discontinuities," 1996 IEEE International Microwave Symposium Digest, vol. 2, San Fransisco, CA, June 17-21, 1996, pp. 1055-58.

K.E. Krause and B.E. Spielman, "An Electromagnetic Technique for Packaging Problem Analysis," 1996 IEEE International Microwave Symposium Digest, vol. 2 and Ph.D. Thesis, San Francisco, CA, June 17-21, 1996, pp. 1067-70.

B.E. Spielman, and K.E. Krause, "Electromagnetic Synthesis for Packaging Feature Modeling and Simulation," 1993 Microwave Hybrid Circuits Conference Proceedings, Wickenburg, Arizona, 1993.

Chew, K. H., and B.E. Spielman, "Distributed and W-shaped Directional Couplers Employing a Reentrant Configuration," Dept. Elect. Eng. Tech. Rept. WUEE-91-104 and M.S. Thesis, Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO., Dec. 1991.

B.E. Spielman, "Prolog to the Special Section of RF Integrated Electronics," Proc. IEEE, vol. 79, No. 3, pp. 306-7, Mar. 1991.

B.E. Spielman, "Millimeter-wave Monolithic Integrated Circuits," Proc. 16th European MW. Conf., Dublin, Ireland, Sept. 8-11, 1986.

B.E. Spielman, "Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Monolithic Integrated Circuits," Proc. 1986 IEEE Princeton Section Sarnoff Symposium, Princeton, N. J., pp. 1-5, Mar. 14, l986.

Ganguly, A., and B.E. Spielman, "Dispersion Characteristics for Arbitrarily-configured Transmission Media," Trans. Micr. Th. Techs., vol. MTT-25, No. 12, pp. 1138-1141, December 1977.

B.E. Spielman, "Dissipation Loss Effects in Isolated and Coupled Transmission Lines," IEEE Trans. Micr. Th. Techs., Vol . MTT-25, No. 8, pp . 648-656, August 1977.

B.E. Spielman and B. Sheleg, "A Broadband (7-18 GHz), 10 dB Overlay Coupler for MIC Applications,'' IEEE Electronics Letters, Vol. 11, No. 8, pp. 175-176, April 17, 1975.

B.E. Spielman, and B. Sheleg, "Broadband Directional Couplers Using Microstrip with Dielectric Overlays," IEEE Trans . Micr . Th . Techs., Vol . MTT-22, No. 12, pp. 12-20, Dec. 1974.

B.E. Spielman, "Waveguides of Arbitrary Cross Section by Solution of a Nonlinear Integral Eigenvalue Equation," IEEE Trans. Micr. Th. Techs., Vol . MTT-20, No.9, pp . 578-585, Sept. 1972.