Architectures and Integrated Circuits for Power-Efficient Communication Systems and Beyond

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The main objective of this research program is to develop system and integrated circuit design techniques that improve the performance of system-on-chips for emerging and next-generation communication, Internet of Things (IoT) and biomedical applications. We will focus on techniques that reduces the power consumption of the system, therefore, improving the battery longevity in the context of mobile and wearable devices, with little or no compromise on the other performance metrics of the system. More specifically, for IoT and biomedical applications, we will design and experimentally validate power-scalable radio-frequency (RF) transceivers that depending on the status of the communication channel adjust their power consumption to efficiently achieve the desired performance. Also, in the context of emerging and next-generation communication applications, such as 5th generation (5G) systems, where to address the increasing demand for higher data rates the system has to operate at higher frequencies where more bandwidth is available, we will focus on the design and implementation of critical building blocks of the transceiver that allow for power efficient operation of the overall system. In this context, operation at mm-wave and (sub)THz frequencies calls for operating transistors at or beyond the frequency that the transistor can provide gain. It is the goal of this research to continue our exploratory efforts in development of new integrated circuit and system design techniques for variety of applications with a particular emphasis on wireless/wireline communication systems, biomedical circuits and imaging applications. Our past and current research in these areas have led us to interesting architectural and circuit-level design ideas and techniques to further improve the performance of CMOS circuits in terms of operation frequency as well as power efficiency. We will validate the proposed system- and circuit-level techniques using proof-of-concept prototype implementations in the mainstream integrated circuit technologies, namely, complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technologies. The proposed research offers further insights for better understanding of the achievable performance and limitations of analog, mixed-signal, RF, and mm-wave integrated circuits implemented in CMOS technologies. The results of this research will not only have scientific and engineering impacts, but also provide excellent opportunities for training highly qualified personnel which will in turn have technological and economical benefits for Canada and international community.