Dr. Abbas Semnani

Associate Professor
Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
Nitschke Hall 2031, Mail Stop 308
1610 N. Westwood Ave, Toledo, OH 43606
Phone: +1 (419) 530-8150
Email: [email protected]

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Welcome to the Adaptive Radiofrequency and Plasma Lab (ARPL)

At ARPL, we explore the interaction between electromagnetic waves and cold plasmas to tackle critical challenges in high-power and energy-efficient systems. Traditional high-frequency technologies often fall short in high-power scenarios, leading us to develop innovative plasma-based solutions for reconfigurable microwave and millimeter-wave applications.

Our work also focuses on creating highly efficient, energy-conscious plasma elements and arrays for diverse applications, including plasma medicine, material processing, compact particle accelerators, and RF electronics. By integrating theoretical, modeling, and experimental approaches with low-cost manufacturing techniques, we aim to advance these technologies toward commercialization, driving impact across industries.

Kushagra has been selected as an *HONORABLE MENTION* in the 2025 IEEE AP-S Student Paper Competition.

April 2025

Abbas Semnani received the College of Engineering Excellence in Research Award. 

April 2025

Kushagra has been selected as a finalist in the IMS 2025 3-minute Thesis Competition.

April 2025

Kazi successfully defended his PhD dissertation.

April 2025

Abbas Semnani has been selected to serve as a College of Engineering Dean’s Research Fellow, effective January 1, 2025. 

January 2025

Kazi has been selected as a finalist in the UToledo’s 3-minute Thesis Competition.

November 2024

Rizwan Akram received the IEEE AP-S Fellowship.

July 2024

Sandeep successfully defended his PhD dissertation.

July 2024

Abbas Semnani received the NSF CAREER Award.
Read more …

March 2024

The Adaptive Radiofrequency and Plasma Lab’s research is mainly focused on the interaction of electromagnetic waves and cold plasmas. Current high-frequency systems employing semiconductor-based elements, MEMS, liquid crystals, and ferromagnetic materials are suboptimal for high-power scenarios, and difficult compromises are often required. Hence, we explore innovative ways, including plasma-based techniques, to realize high-power reconfigurable microwave and mm-wave solutions.

On the other hand, although cold plasma is a critical technology in many fields, most current plasma sources are inefficient and energy-hungry units. Thus, we are also dedicated to generating highly efficient plasma elements and arrays using high-frequency techniques for applications such as plasma medicine, decontamination, lighting, and RF electronics. We cover all theoretical, modeling, and experimental aspects of such problems, and our specific effort is devoted to low-cost manufacturing technologies to successfully commercialize these devices, leading to immediate opportunities in many industries.

 

Dr. Abbas Semnani

Associate Professor
Electrical Engineering & Computer Science

Nitschke Hall 2031, Mail Stop 308
1610 N. Westwood Ave., Toledo, OH 43606
Office: (419) 530-8150
[email protected]

We have an immediate postdoctoral research position in ARPL!
Read more and apply…

February 23, 2022

UToledo Researcher Awarded Grants to Develop Plasma-Based RF Electronic Systems

By Diana Van Winkle /// September 21, 2021

The Office of Naval Research recently awarded a researcher at The University of Toledo two grants totaling $770,000 to develop ways to defend electronic systems against high-power threats and improve the performance of small antennas.

Read More…