Enabling Almost Digital, Power Efficient, Wireless Transmitters

实现几乎数字化，功率效率，无线发射机的研究的目标是开发高效，精确，高度可重构的无线通信发射机集成电路。 所提出的方法取代了发射机的最重要的组件，即模拟功率放大器（PA），与一个新的功率数模转换器（PDAC），以产生高功率，宽带调制的射频信号，以最小的功耗。 与传统的模拟PA不同，PDAC使用数字信号处理原理和数字逻辑来提高性能;因此，它是可靠的，可重新配置的，并且适合于深亚微米制造工艺中的集成。 一个适合于宽带无线和/或蜂窝通信的原型发射机集成电路将被设计、制造和测试作为概念验证，其智力价值在于它提出了一种有前途的、完全不同的方法来提高无线发射机的性能和可靠性。 它设想了一种解决方案，将数模转换器和功率放大器的研究放在一起，而不是孤立地对待;孤立地对待它们不可避免地导致了不可重新配置的优化解决方案。该项目的更广泛影响是双重的。 首先，它解决了构建灵活、高效的无线电的基本问题，这对通信系统的发展和电子行业的发展至关重要。 其次，它将鼓励来自代表性不足群体的学生从事高级工程职业，方法是提供专门从这些群体招募的研究生和暑期实习生，在PI的密切监督下从事项目工作。

Enabling Almost Digital, Power Efficient, Wireless TransmittersThe objective of the research is to develop efficient, precise, and highly re-configurable wireless communication transmitter integrated circuits. The proposed approach replaces the most important component of a transmitter, namely the analog power amplifier (PA), with a new power digital-to-analog converter (PDAC) to generate high power, wide bandwidth modulated radio frequency signals with minimal power consumption. Unlike the traditional analog PA, the PDAC uses digital signal processing principles and digital logic to improve performance; it is therefore reliable, re-configurable, and appropriate for integration in deep sub-micron fabrication processes. A prototype transmitter integrated circuit suitable for broadband wireless and/or cel-lular communications will be designed, had fabricated, and tested as a proof of concept.The intellectual merit is that it presents a promising, radically different approach to im-prove wireless transmitter performance and reliability. It envisages a solution that treats digital-to-analog converter and power amplifier research together, and not in isolation; treating them in isolation has inexorably led to optimized solutions that are not re-configurable.The broader impacts of the project are two fold. First, it addresses the fundamental problem of building agile, efficient wireless radios that are crucial to the growth of communica-tion systems in particular and the electronics industry in general. Second, it will encourage stu-dents from underrepresented groups to take up advanced engineering careers by providing graduate students and summer interns recruited specifically from such groups to work on the pro-ject under close supervision of the PI.