Professor William Chappell leads the IDEAS (Integrated Design of Electromagnetically-Applied Systems) Laboratory at Purdue University.

Research at the lab focuses on three major and related areas: advanced packaging, integrated sensors, and wireless systems.

In the advanced packaging realm, our lab researches vertically-integrated structures, often at the integrated circuit (IC) die level, in recognition of the promise of significant system size reductions and speed improvements which can be realized using these techniques. The group currently is under contract with the US Defense Advanced Research and Projects Agency (DARPA) to design high-linearity, frequency-agile filters under the Analog Spectral Processor (ASP) program. Among its past accomplishments, the lab has completed prototype highly-integrated receivers for satellite radio applications, in collaboration with the Delphi Corporation, DuPont, and Omega Wireless Systems. The lab concentrates its efforts on the packaging and integration of complete systems. Material sets of interest include both organic and low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) substrates.

Finally, in the area of wireless systems, one of the areas where significant activity is taking place is in the development of a Digital Array Radar (DAR). The DAR incorporates an RF-to-bits capability behind each antenna element in its array, allowing the formation of multiple antenna beams in the digital domain; multiple-in, multiple-out (MIMO)-use scenarios and bistatic operation (where the radar's transmitter and receiver operate concurrently). This work has relevance in the meteorological and defense areas. In addition, research continues in the area of passive intermodulation (PIM). The goal of this research is to identify, characterize and improve system non-linear performance in high-power microwave systems.

Thanks to its past successes, the lab has garnered the support of outside industrial collaborators and partners, yielding both practical experience as well as sizable donations of capital equipment to promote the lab's mission in advancing the state of the art in these technology sectors.

The lab is a founding member of the Center for Electronic Defense Systems (CEDS) under Purdue's Institute for Defense Innovation (PIDI).