CAREER: Radio Frequency Piezoelectric Acoustic Microsystems for Efficient and Adaptive Front-End Signal Processing

职业：用于高效和自适应前端信号处理的射频压电声学微系统

• 批准号: 2339731
• 负责人: Ruochen Lu
• 金额: $ 50万
• 依托单位: University of Texas at Austin
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-09-01 至 2029-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2339731&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Radio; Frequency; Piezoelectric; Acoustic

This project responds to the escalating demand for advanced radio-frequency front-end (RFFE) signal processing components in mobile devices, driven by the ever-expanding landscape of wireless connectivity. The imperative to integrate more RFFE elements within the confined space and power constraints of handheld devices is underscored by the surge in 5G/6G technology, necessitating compact hardware with low power consumption. Our overarching vision is to simplify RFFE complexity and enable superior transceivers by developing chip-scale functionalities with smaller size, higher efficiency and more tunability. Among RFFE components, piezoelectric acoustic microsystems emerge as a key solution, boasting four orders of magnitude smaller sizes and lower losses than conventional electromagnetic (EM) counterparts. Currently dominating RFFE filter solutions in the sub-6-GHz spectrum, these microsystems hold the potential to revolutionize signal processing if extended into the millimeter-wave (mm-wave) spectrum. Hence, overcoming longstanding challenges related to existing acoustic platforms and device designs in mm-wave spectrum is the primary objective of this proposal. The project's broader impacts encompass societal benefits through innovations in wireless technologies and their applications, alongside educational outreach initiatives aimed at inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers. Committed to STEM education, the project closely integrates research into undergraduate and graduate curricula, mentoring of students, and K-12 learning modules. The research will be closely integrated with undergraduate-level course of Microwave Engineering and graduate-level course of Microelectromechanical Systems. Dissemination through webinars events ensures wide-reaching impact, and industry collaboration fosters practical applications of research findings in RF acoustics. The technologies enabled by our project have the potential to significantly lower power consumption in the power-hungry RFFE, which presently accounts for approximately 30% of power usage in smartphones, contributing to longer battery life and lower energy consumption toward a low carbon economy.This CAREER project is dedicated to advancing miniature piezoelectric acoustic devices for efficient and adaptive RFFE signal processing, with a specific focus on the challenging mm-wave spectrum. The technical strategy comprises three interrelated research thrusts addressing critical gaps in current technologies: 1) development of mm-wave low-loss acoustic platforms: pioneering low-loss and wideband thin-film lithium niobate (LN) platforms leveraging higher-order Lamb modes to facilitate acoustic transducers and waveguides beyond 30 GHz; 2) RF acoustic traveling-wave signal processing components: designing compact traveling-wave RFFE signal processing elements using patterned sub-wavelength metallic structures and piezoelectric transducers on LN thin films, contributing to the miniaturization of acoustic devices whilst maintaining low loss; 3) adaptive piezoelectric device tuning: investigating an efficient tuning mechanism for adaptive piezoelectric devices, utilizing electrostatically actuated metallic beams near the piezoelectric surface, enhancing device performance, enabling applications in dynamic wireless environments. The proposed compact size and adaptivity of acoustic microsystems may drive further miniaturization of wireless transceiver hardware with lower power budget.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.

该项目是为了满足移动的设备对高级射频前端（RFFE）信号处理组件不断增长的需求，而这一需求是由不断扩大的无线连接领域所推动的。5G/6 G技术的激增强调了在手持设备的有限空间和功率限制内集成更多RFFE元件的必要性，这需要具有低功耗的紧凑硬件。我们的总体愿景是通过开发具有更小尺寸、更高效率和更高可调谐性的芯片级功能，简化RFFE复杂性并实现上级收发器。在RFFE组件中，压电声学微系统成为一个关键的解决方案，拥有比传统电磁（EM）对应物小四个数量级的尺寸和更低的损耗。目前，这些微系统在6 GHz以下频谱中占据主导地位，如果扩展到毫米波（mm波）频谱中，这些微系统将有可能彻底改变信号处理。因此，克服与毫米波频谱中现有声学平台和设备设计相关的长期挑战是本提案的主要目标。该项目更广泛的影响包括通过无线技术及其应用的创新带来的社会效益，以及旨在激励下一代科学家和工程师的教育宣传举措。该项目致力于STEM教育，将研究与本科和研究生课程、学生辅导和K-12学习模块紧密结合。本研究将与本科微波工程课程和研究生微机电系统课程紧密结合。通过网络研讨会活动的传播确保了广泛的影响，而行业合作则促进了RF声学研究成果的实际应用。我们的项目所实现的技术有可能显著降低高功耗RFFE的功耗，目前RFFE约占智能手机功耗的30%，有助于延长电池寿命和降低能耗，实现低碳经济。这个CAREER项目致力于推进微型压电声学器件，以实现高效和自适应的RFFE信号处理，特别关注具有挑战性的毫米波频谱。该技术战略包括三个相互关联的研究方向，旨在解决当前技术中的关键差距：1）开发毫米波低损耗声学平台：开创性的低损耗和宽带薄膜锂酸盐（LN）平台，利用高阶兰姆模式促进30 GHz以上的声学换能器和波导; 2）RF声学行波信号处理组件：使用图案化的亚波长金属结构和LN薄膜上的压电换能器设计紧凑的行波RFFE信号处理元件，有助于声学器件的小型化，同时保持低损耗; 3）自适应压电器件调谐：研究自适应压电器件的有效调谐机制，利用压电表面附近的静电致动金属梁，增强器件性能，使其能够在动态无线环境中应用。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。