Electronic and Telecommunications Engineering

Electronic and telecommunications engineering is the most rapidly advancing field of engineering. From nano-scale devices to 5G mobile telecommunications, it has a massive impact on our way of life.

Our research drives innovation in a diverse range of industries including health, transport logistics, disaster management, computing, telecommunications and personal electronics.

Electronic and telecommunications engineering at RMIT encompasses several research areas including:

Photonics
Micro/Nano devices and systems
Metamaterials
Low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) devices and systems
Radio frequency systems, devices and antennas
Next generation networks
Optical quantum computing

Our impact

Our expertise, state-of-the-art facilities and opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration have produced many high impact advances including:

ingestible smart pills for the diagnosis of gut disorders and diseases
memristors (functional elements of the bionic brain)
two-dimensional semiconductors (phosphorene or black phosphorus) that are an efficient, switchable alternative to graphene
flexible electronics (oxide electronics that bend and stretch)
wearable patches (transparent electronic skin) for environment and health monitoring
data routing for quantum computing
conformal antennas that can be used as structural elements in car bodies and aircraft wings and fuselages
radar systems for bushfire early detection
RF energy harvesting for scavenging power from ambient electromagnetic radiation
frequency selective surfaces for shielding and filtering

We lead Australia’s silicon photonic capability in areas including simulation design, fabrication, packaging and testing. Our photonics design tools are licensed to industry globally.

We are the leading Australian institution in terahertz device fabrication, including metamaterials, beam steering and plasmonics.

We have recently demonstrated through clinical trials an ingestible gas sensor module capable of measuring gastrointestinal gas and transmitting the information to a smart-phone. This device provides real-time data about the state of the intestinal tract.

We are the leading Australian institution in antennas and radar systems development for a range of defence applications. Our current partners include the Defence Science and Technology Group, BAE Systems and DefendTex.

Research centres and groups

Facilities

The following major research facilities support our research:

Micro Nano Research Facility
Quantum Photonics Laboratory

In addition, the School boasts excellent facilities in the communication and network engineering branches of telecommunications engineering. We have full measurement capabilities with automated anechoic chambers covering 1-110GHz, plus network and spectrum analysis to 40 GHz. A full suite of state-of-the-art simulation tools including microwave circuit and system simulation, electromagnetic simulation and semiconductor device modelling and simulation. Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic (LTCC) fabrication facilities for prototyping integrated RF systems, as well as a range of deposition systems within the Micro Nano Research Facility. The School also has a network engineering research facility that enables research in cognitive radio, ad-hoc networks and software-defined networking.