Wideband circuits with high dynamic range for data communication

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Handheld communication reaches more than 2B people, connecting them to social networks, entertainment, and business transactions across the global economy. There is demand for greater and more reliable connectivity at Gbit/s data transfer rates, but current radio transceivers cannot handle the large number of bands required, or adapt to new spectrum allocations. Wide bandwidth (i.e., wideband) technologies are required for the fifth-generation (5G) wireless or IoT applications of the future to flourish.***This project is training of highly-qualified personnel (HQP) in Canada to develop wideband silicon circuits with high dynamic range for the next generations of communication and sensing applications. Integration on silicon chips is a well-established driver of innovation in low-cost portable mobile devices for the mass market. Within the next 5 years, silicon-CMOS technologies with 7-nm gates are projected to integrate ~20 billion transistors onto a single chip, bringing wideband systems with higher performance within our reach. New technologies for shielding on-chip passive components developed by the applicant and members of his research group permit radio-frequency (RF) electronics to operate with wider dynamic range and at reduced power consumption than today's circuits. In this project, advanced passive components are integrated into standard computer-aided design (CAD) tools that enable wideband systems on a chip that are less expensive, more reliable and smaller. Novel RF circuits on silicon developed in the project will make advanced wireless basestations less expensive and more widely available, making the delivery of Gbit/s data rates to mobile customers a reality. Improving the dynamic range of circuits makes portable devices more reliable, meaning fewer dropped calls or delays when uploading or downloading data. High-linearity, wideband circuits applied to optical communication systems enable Tbit/s (i.e., 1,000 Gbit/s) data transfers that are needed to service wireless basestations in 5G systems efficiently.***These innovations strengthen the position of Canadian industry in a huge global market that is increasingly dependent on broadband communications technology by training scarce and valuable HQP. This research project has a very high potential for industrial take-up in new and existing applications, as it builds on developing silicon chip technologies and commercial design tools.