The electromagnetic field generated when an alternating current is input to an antenna is called an RF field or radio wave. Ranging from a frequency of about 9 kilohertz (kHz) up to thousands of gigahertz (GHz), the RF spectrum is used by many types of everyday devices — radio, television, cordless and cellular telephones, satellite communication systems, and many measuring and instrumentation systems used in manufacturing.

These devices do their job using circuitry that converts an analog signal (for example, the voice of a radio announcer) into ones and zeroes and then into radio frequency signals that travel through the atmosphere. Conceiving of the recipes — called algorithms – to find novel solutions to the challenges presented using this circuitry requires a comprehensive understanding of the physical world coupled with imagination and creativity. Design of this type of circuitry is the focus of the ECS group.