Collaborative Research: FuSe: Collaborative Optically Disaggregated Arrays of Extreme-MIMO Radio Units (CODAeMIMO)

这项研究旨在创造一套新的技术，能够实现协作的光分解极端多输入多输出(CODAeMIMO)大容量通信和高保真传感系统。研究的技术堆栈涵盖由新的光分离阵列架构实现的新型无单元协作Extreme MIMO算法和通信基础设施概念，以及电子-光子链路和新的基本电路和设备组件-所有这些都经过优化，以实现所需的通信和传感系统可伸缩性。这项研究探索了未来密集、大规模极端MIMO通信和传感平台的设计，通过设计能够将毫米波信号从天线阵列直接连接到中央处理中心节点的片上电子光子系统(EPSoC)，实现阵列功率、尺寸和信号保真度/处理能力的显著进步。EPSoC在新的无小区架构中实现了廉价、协作、分散的阵列，通过更多的用户数量和更高的空间利用率，为具有更高频谱利用率的新一代通信系统铺平了道路。这种多学科协作的工作将培养一批独特的工程师和科学家，他们跨越毫米波、极端MIMO和大规模相控阵波束形成器以及电子-光子系统和设备的通信系统设计的边界，这些系统和设备迫切需要构建先进的下一代无线系统。首席调查员拥有与高中生直接接触的良好记录，这些高中生在伯克利无线研究中心提供暑期实习机会，并在波士顿大学进行模范的本科生研究活动。我们的目标是利用这些具有重大社会影响的令人兴奋的研究方向来吸引未被充分代表的学生接受工程学本科教育。教育和推广活动将确保该领域的新一代领导者的早期接触和持续培训，从K-12到本科生和研究生学习，以及继续劳动力教育，特别是针对代表性不足的学生。这种研究方法将利用先进的单片电子-光电子集成在单个射频光子EPSoC中，应用于先进的大批量制造平台，如45 nm SOI CMOS。研究方法的核心是毫米波电子-光子集成电路功能的演示。在器件层面，该方法将展示基于耦合有源硅微环的高效“光子分子”电光调制器，它提供的电光信号转换效率比传统的硅光子微环(和马赫-曾德尔)调制器高15-50dB。这项工作的目标是为所研究的天线到光子链路体系结构开发先进的光子和电路组件，并提供所研究的波分复用模拟光子链路原型的实验演示，该原型具有先进的光子组件和毫米波电路，这些组件专门与这些光子组件进行调谐和单片集成。这项工作还将产生与实验数据相关的可扩展设备和链路模型，以实现更大阵列原型的工程设计以及协作、分布式极端MIMO算法和系统级架构的开发。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This research aims to create a new set of technologies enabling collaborative optically disaggregated extreme multiple input multiple output (CODAeMIMO) high-capacity communication and high-fidelity sensing systems. The researched technology stack spans novel cell-free collaborative extreme MIMO algorithms and communication infrastructure concepts enabled by new optically disaggregated array architectures, to electronic-photonic links and new fundamental circuit and device components – all optimized to enable the required communication and sensing system scalability. The research explores the design of future dense, large-scale extreme MIMO communications and sensing platforms, enabling significant advances in the array power, size and signal fidelity/processing capability, by designing electronic-photonic systems-on-chip (EPSoCs) that enable direct connection of mm-wave signals from antenna arrays to the central processing hub nodes. The EPSoCs enable inexpensive, collaborative, disaggregated arrays in a new cell-free architecture paving the way to a new generation of communication systems with significantly higher spectrum utilization, through larger number of users and higher spatial utilization. This collaborative multi-disciplinary work will educate a unique crop of engineers and scientists that cross the boundaries of communication systems design for mm-wave, extreme MIMO and large-scale phase-array beamformers, and electronic-photonic systems and devices, which are in severe demand for building advanced next-generation wireless systems. The Principal Investigators have an established track record of direct engagement with high-school students providing summer internships at Berkeley Wireless Research Center and exemplary undergraduate research activities at Boston University. The goal is to utilize these exciting research directions with big social impact outcomes to attract underrepresented students to undergraduate education in engineering. The educational and outreach activities will ensure early exposure and continued training of new generation of leaders in this field, from K-12, through undergraduate and graduate studies, and continuing workforce education, with special focus on underrepresented students.This research approach will utilize advanced monolithic electronics-photonics integration in a single RF photonic EPSoC in advanced high-volume manufacturing platforms like 45nm SOI CMOS. At the core of the researched approach is the demonstration of mm-wave electronic-photonic integrated circuit functions. At the device level, the approach will demonstrate efficient “photonic molecule” electro-optic modulators based on coupled active silicon microrings, which provide electro-optic signal conversion efficiencies 15-50dB higher than conventional silicon photonic microring (and Mach-Zehnder) modulators. The goal of the effort is to develop the advanced photonic and circuit components for the researched antenna-to-photons link architecture as well as provide an experimental demonstration of the researched wavelength-division multiplexed analog photonic link prototype featuring the advanced photonic components and mm-wave circuits specifically tuned and monolithically integrated with these photonic components. The effort will also produce scalable device and link models correlated with the experimental data to enable engineering of larger array prototypes and development of collaborative, distributed extreme MIMO algorithms and system-level architectures.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.