Millimeterwave Integrated Circuits and Arrays for 5G Wireless Front-Ends

毫米波（mm-wave）频谱将成为技术战略的一个组成部分，为第五代（5G）移动的通信网络的移动的手机提供Gbit/sec数据速率。 5G的愿景是，它将是一个多层异构网络，包含在毫米波段运行的毫微微蜂窝和微微蜂窝，这些蜂窝位于传统的宏蜂窝网络中。 Femtocell将为办公楼的一层楼等小区域提供覆盖，而picocell将覆盖更大的区域，如城市街道。 为了使毫米波链路在商业上可行，需要一种解决方案来减轻室内链路中的多径效应，并在发射机和接收机之间的视线（LOS）中断时最小化链路中断。 拟议研究的目的是增加毫米波前端辐射结构的多功能性和功能性，以在毫米波频率下提供稳健、可靠的无线覆盖。 为了实现这些目标，我们将定制设计毫米波集成电路（MMIC）和数字辅助，使天线阵列可以推断周围环境的信息。 我们在这里称之为“空间感知阵列”，将能够自动向开放空间辐射，并选择性地监听最强入射信号到达的方向。 这项研究计划将包括MMIC设计，微控制器编程，天线阵列设计和波传播测量，参与这项工作的学生将接受全面的，动手的，对这些任务中的每一个的培训。 这项研究工作的每一个方面都直接映射到加拿大电信公司的活动，从集成电路设计者到网络设备制造者，再到网络运营商。 但加拿大经济的其他部门也将受益，例如汽车行业，当自动驾驶汽车在未来十年进入市场时，汽车行业将以无数方式发生变化。

The millimeter wave (mm-wave) spectrum will be an integral part of the technology strategy to deliver the Gbit/sec data rates to mobile handsets projected for fifth-generation (5G) mobile communications networks. The vision for 5G is that it will be a multi-tiered heterogeneous network containing femtocells and picocells operating in the mm-wave band nestled within a traditional macro-network of cells. Femtocells will provide coverage for small areas like one story of an office building and picocells to larger areas like city streets. For mm-wave links to be commercially viable, a solution is needed to mitigate multipath effects in indoor links and to minimize link disruptions when the line-of-sight (LOS) is broken between a transmitter and a receiver. The purpose of the proposed research is to increase the versatility and functionality of the radiating structure of mm-wave front-ends to provide robust, reliable, wireless coverage at mm-wave frequencies. To achieve these objectives we will custom-design mm-wave integrated circuits (MMICs) and digital assist to make antenna arrays that can infer information about their surroundings. The 'spatially aware arrays' as we will call them here, will have the ability to automatically radiate towards open spaces and to selectively listen in the direction where the strongest incident signals are arriving from. This research program will encompass MMIC design, microcontroller programming, antenna array design, and wave propagation measurements and students who will participate in this endeavour will receive thorough, hands-on, training on each one of these tasks. Every aspect of this research work directly maps to the activities of Canadian telecommunications companies ranging from those who design integrated circuits, to those who make network equipment, to network operators. But there are other sectors of Canadian economy that also stand to benefit such as automotive industry, which will be transformed in innumerable ways when self-driving vehicles enter the marketplace in the decade ahead.*****