Ali Hajimiri

Silicon Integrated Circuits for Millimeter Waves

Millimeter-waves offer great opportunities and interesting challenges to silicon integrated circuit and system designers. However, he full benefits of silicon integration can only be realized by going beyond the direct transfer of techniques and architectures from conventional compound semiconductor approaches to silicon. The issues to be considered go beyond standard circuit design questions and span a broader range of topics including wave propagation, antenna design, and communication channel capacity limits. It is only meaningful to evaluate the benefits and shortcoming of silicon-based mm-wave integrated circuits in this broader context. As an example, we will discuss the design of a 77-GHz phased array transceiver with on-chip antennas in silicon. We will discuss various architectural choices, and how the trade-offs change once we consider a fully-integrated silicon-based platform. We will show that the "local" LO phase shifting approach can take full advantage of certain properties of integrated circuits and offers benefits beyond those possible by more conventional module-based implementation of such phased array systems. We will also discuss the problem of power generation and review some novel power generation and combining techniques at such high frequencies. Time permitting we talk about some other implementation of array based systems in silicon, such as 24GHz phased array transmitters, 60GHz scalable arrays, and a 6-18GHz multi-band multi-beam phased array receivers in CMOS.

Linus Maurer

Term Ended 2009

Highly Flexible Digital Front-End Enhanced CMOS-Based RF Transceivers

Vijay Nair

Term Ended 2009

Intel Corporation

5000 W Chandler Blvd

Chandler, AZ 85226

Mail Drop CH5-157

480-554-7583

V.Nair@IEEE.Org

Heterogeneous Wireless Communication Devices: Present and Future

Convergence of communication and computing technologies is rapidly changing the requirement of wireless devices. While wireless wide area network (WWAN) based on cellular radios was evolving, a new set of wireless LAN networks which are fundamentally different from cellular networks emerged. Devices for applications in the wireless LAN networks (WLAN), wireless personal area networks (WPAN) and wireless metro area networks (WMAN) are being deployed in increasing numbers. Bluetooth and Ultra Wideband (UWB) technologies have been introduced for high-bandwidth wireless connectivity in personal area networks. Location identification technologies like GPS are getting integrated with wireless products as well. There is no doubt that tomorrow’s network environment will be extremely heterogeneous.

 However, network heterogeneity also brings with it enormous challenges, as devices will have to be extremely capable in order to intelligently roam around heterogeneous networks operating under a wide range of protocols.  As network diversity increases the important challenges of the future communication devices will be coexistence, interoperability and seamless transfer among networks. The vision for ubiquitous computing sees a computational environment where a computer makes decisions and adapts its behavior without being explicitly asked to do so.

This talk will elaborate the vision, the attributes and technical challenges of heterogeneous wireless communication system. In particular advancements of RF component technologies from antennas to baseband ICs will be elucidated. The evolution of different standards and their impact on the mixed network communication will also be discussed.

Richard Snyder

Term Ended 2009

RS Microwave
22 Park Pl.
Butler, NJ 07405
t: 1+ 973-492-1207, extension 23

R.Snyder@IEEE.Org

PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF MICROWAVE FILTER DEVELOPMENT

The design and development of microwave filters and networks proceeds from strong theoretical underpinnings, with readily-available theory (and software) covering such diverse areas as circuit topology, electromagnetic radiation and coupling, thermal and mechanical properties of materials, mechanical resonances and finish characteristics.

Given all of the available theory, it falls upon the developer to properly apply relevant portions of this wide-ranging chest of knowledge, with an artistic touch (the “black magic” aspect of design), with constant awareness of the situational constraints upon economics that differentiate between science and engineering in the real world.

A wonderful tool that has developed over the last decade is the artful use of simulation toolsto substitute for earlier lab-based cut and try. In a development mode, the designer is usuallyfaced with having to achieve performance that is just marginally possible. This is because the users of filters and networks are also rather good at simulating what can be done, and consequently write requirements with almost no margin. It is thus important for designers to be more sophisticated in the use of available tools and to develop ever better models for analysis and prediction, as well as new syntheses not available (yet) to the specification writer. This will save the designer from worrying about performance, after investing days, weeks or months in design of something that really cannot quite do the job, at room ambient conditions or over some range of temperature, altitude, humidity, high power, etc..

In this talk, I will present examples showing how simulation tools have been used to eliminate lab cut-and-try (multiple prototypes) and to squeeze the last gasp of performance out of certain filters. The simulation tools can be applied to mechanical parameters, such as shock and vibration, as well as to the fundamental electrical network design. Examples of high power bandpass, high power notch filters with wide stopbands, and notch filters with wide passbands will be presented. We will present the idea of validating models to ensure that sufficient model complexity is contained so as to enable accurate predictions. It is hoped that the listener will develop an appreciation for the cost-savings associated with the idea of using well-validated simulation models in lieu of the lathe (and other tools).

Huei Wang

Term Ended 2009

The anticipated presentation will cover the current status and future trends of millimeter-wave MMICs, including those using III-V compound (GaAs, InP, GaN, etc.) and Si-based (CMOS, SiGe HBT and BiCMOS) MMIC technologies.  Millimeter-wave MMICs used to be applied to military and astronomy systems for long time and started to be utilized for civil applications in the decade, such as communications and automotive radars.  The evolution of IC technologies has enabled the performance of Si-based MMICs over 100 GHz, even in standard bulk CMOS processes.  This is believed to have a major impact in the future development of millimeter-wave systems.  Since low-cost mass-production potential pushes forward the technology, a very high integration of circuit functions on a chip, such as RF, base-band circuitry, automatic-control for a steady operation, and maybe even the antenna, etc. should be included, and thus the system on chip (SOC) issues should be addressed, especially in MMW regime.  Moreover, millimeter-wave packaging cost always dominated in the module development.  In order to simplify the assembly and reduced cost, the concept of system in package (SIP) has been proposed.   This presentation will also survey the current technologies for SOC and SIP and discuss related issues and challenges.