CAREER: Integrated Circuits for Ultra High Speed Communications

人们普遍认为，在可预见的未来，高速通信仍将是主要研究领域之一。通信(无线或有线)受许多参数的影响，但决定其速度和灵活性的主要是物理层的限制。虽然大量的努力致力于在物理层开发新的基板和技术，但高速和低功率通信系统和电路正面临所使用的设备和基板的物理限制。尤其是在集成电路系统和电路中，过去的非主导效应正变得主导，困扰着高速电路的摩尔定律。随着片上晶体管数量的增加，扩展过程的不可避免的限制正在产生难以弥补的限制。这些效应彻底改变了设计空间，使使用传统设计技术的此类系统的带宽和速度更难大幅提高。这些限制的部分原因是过去为促进设计过程而定义的抽象程度，不幸的是，鉴于新的限制条件，这些抽象程度已经失去了效力。尽管如此，硅基技术仍是下一代运行在数百千兆赫的超高速通信系统中最有前途的技术。然而，在这一承诺在实际系统中实现之前，需要解决一系列关键的研究挑战。在这个计划中，PI计划调查几个系统、电路、器件和模拟挑战，以及通信系统集成的总体影响。在这个计划的五年时间里，他将继续研究超高速硅基集成电路的许多方面，强调它们与实际集成通信系统和不久将开发的电路的相关性，以及它们开发新科学和知识的能力，这些新科学和知识的影响超出了最初的问题。主要研究课题包括：1.集成通信系统中的噪声过程，2.超高速无线和有线通信的分布式电路，3.新的收发信机结构和概念，4.新的设备结构。Pi加入学术界是因为他坚信教育可能是解决人类社会面临的主要问题的唯一真正的长期解决方案。教育是人类的主要活动之一，使教与学成为一枚硬币的两面。因此，作为一名教育工作者，无论是在课堂上解决研究生的理论研究问题，还是在实验室帮助学生建立她的复杂结构，PI已经并将有机会教授和学习，并为他的学生和他自己开阔视野和视野，创造新的可能性。他的职业哲学主要是作为一名教育工作者，他的哲学是，任何形式的人类互动都可以而且应该被视为学习和教育的机会。他已经并将继续通过培训学生为他们未来的职业生涯做好准备，从而产生更广泛的影响，使他们能够承担领导角色，并为整个社会做出贡献。他加盟加州理工的主要原因是有独特的机会成为加州理工大学研究传统与极其活跃和充满活力的学生群体之间紧密联系的一部分。加州理工学院作为一家研究机构的卓越表现，以及其对本科教育的坚定不移的承诺，使其成为此类努力的绝佳场所。他的教育计划的主要目标是：1.继续教授本科生和研究生水平的课程，强调基本概念，鼓励创造力，并专注于基础工程的权衡；2.继续为所有级别的课程开发课程，试图满足尽可能多的受众，考虑到系、研究所和整个社会的需求；3.继续本科生和研究生的建议，赋予学生充分的能力。

0239343HajimiriIt is widely accepted that high-speed communications will remain one of the major fields of studies in the foreseeable future. Communications (wireless or wireline) are affected by many parameters, but it is essentially the limitations of the physical layer that determine its speed and flexibility. While a large amount of effort has been dedicated to development of new substrates and techniques at the physical layer, high speed and low power communication systems and circuits are facing the physical limitations of the devices and substrates used. This is particularly the case, in integrated systems and circuits, where non-dominant effects of the past are becoming dominant to haunt Moore's law for high-speed circuits. While the number of on-chip transistor increases, the inevitable limitations of the scaling process are creating limitations that cannot be easily remedied. These effects have completely changed the design space and have made it more difficult to substantially increase the bandwidth and the speed of such systems using the conventional design techniques. These limitations are partly due to the levels of abstraction defined to facilitate the design process in the past, that have unfortunately lost their effectiveness in the light of the new constraints. Still the silicon-based technologies are the most promising technology for the next generation of ultra-high speed communication systems operating at tens of gigaherz. However, before this promise is realized in a practical system, a set of key research challenges need to be addressed. In this proposal, the PI plans to investigate several of the system, circuit, device, and simulation challenges, as well as the general impact of the integration of communication systems.During the five year span of this proposal, he will continue to study many aspects of ultra high-speed silicon-based integrated circuits, emphasizing both their relevance to the practical integrated communication systems and circuits that will be developed in the near future, as well as their ability to develop new science and knowledge with implications beyond the initial problem. The main topics to be studied include: 1. noise processes in integrated communication systems, 2. distributed circuits for ultra high-speed wireless and wireline communications, 3. new transceiver architectures and concepts, 4. new device structures.The PI joined academia because of his strong belief that education is perhaps the only real long-term solution to the primary problems faced by human society. Education is one of the primary human activities making learning and teaching two sides of the same coin. Thus, as an educator, whether in the classroom, solving theoretical research problems with graduate students, or in the laboratory helping a student create her complicated setup, the PI has had and will have the opportunity to teach and learn, and to broaden the vision and horizons of, and create new possibilities for, both his students and himself. His philosophy towards his career primarily as an educator is that every form of human interactions can and should be viewed as an opportunity to learn and educate. He has been and will continue to be able to make a broader impact by training and preparing students for their future careers, so that they may take on leadership roles and contribute to society at large. The primary reason for his joining Caltech is the unique opportunity to be a part of the strong link between its tradition in research and an extremely active and energetic student body. Caltech's excellence as a research institution, as well as its unwavering commitment to undergraduate education, make it an excellent place for such an endeavor. Also, the vigor and strength of its undergraduate body combined with the Institute's courage to challenge boundaries make it a perfect place to experiment with difficult and progressive approaches to teaching and education.The main objectives of his educational plan are: 1. to continue teaching undergraduate and graduate level courses, emphasizing the fundamental concepts, encouraging creativity, and focusing on fundamental engineering trade-offs, 2. to continue curriculum development for all levels, trying to address as large an audience as possible, considering the needs of the department, institute, and society at large, 3. continue undergraduate and graduate advising by empowering students to realize their full capabilities.