Ultra-Low Phase Noise, Ultra-Wide Band Silicon Photonics Millimeter-wave Signal Generators With Automatic Calibration

具有超低相位噪声、超宽带和高分辨率的毫米波（mm波）信号生成对于许多应用（包括现代仪器仪表、无线通信软件定义无线电、雷达和作战系统）来说是一个重要的挑战。 虽然传统的电子信号产生技术极具挑战性，但毫米波硅光子技术有可能为毫米波信号发生器提供同时超宽带宽、超低相位噪声、高频率分辨率和小尺寸。利用光子调制器、滤波器和延迟元件沿着集成电子器件将允许使用毫米波硅光子来满足这些要求。该项目将展示超低相位噪声、超宽带和高分辨率毫米波硅光子信号发生器，以推进现代仪器、软件定义无线电、雷达和战争系统等应用的无线技术。这项研究有可能彻底改变仪器仪表和无线行业的未来，并为半导体行业提供进一步的技术多样化。 除了上述技术影响外，该项目还促进外联活动，以增加代表性不足的群体对科学和工程的参与，包括每年为高中生举办夏令营。该项目的主要目标是开发新型芯片级毫米波硅光子信号发生器架构，该架构具有超低相位噪声、超宽带、连续调谐范围和高分辨率功能，采用混合绝缘体上硅（SOI）光子和互补金属氧化物半导体（CMOS）芯片实现。硅光子学技术的出现使得实现硅光子学光电振荡器（OEO）以在小形状因子系统的尺寸和功耗内实现微波信号产生的潜力成为可能。然而，现有的硅光子OEO的潜在实现具有两个主要挑战;首先，由于较差的OEO架构选择，调谐范围和相位噪声受到限制，其次，由于硅光子技术的工艺变化，光子部件的初始响应显著失真，因此缺少这些初始响应的自动校准方法。CMOS电子器件可以与硅光子OEO一起沿着使用，以执行相位/频率锁定、激光相位噪声降低和硅光子组件的自动校准。采用在CMOS芯片上实现的电子控制电路允许信号发生器相位/频率锁定、激光相位噪声降低以及硅光子学中严重工艺和温度变化的补偿。 研究目标是：（1）基于具有激光相位噪声消除的集成相位/频率锁定OEO的毫米波硅光子信号发生器的架构定义沿着性能分析，（2）开发新型硅光子OEO架构及其组件，包括调制器、滤波器和延迟元件，以及用于其自动调谐的算法/硬件，（3）新型CMOS原型的实现，包括OEO电子电路、激光相位噪声降低、相位/频率锁定环和自动调谐硬件，（4）硅-该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为是值得支持的，使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估。

Millimeter-wave (mm-wave) signal generation with ultra-low phase noise, ultra-wideband and high-resolution is an essential challenge for many applications including modern instrumentation, software-defined radios for wireless communications, radars, and warfare systems. While it is extremely challenging with conventional electronic signal generation technology, mm-wave silicon-photonics technology has the potential to provide mm-wave signal generators with simultaneous ultra-wide bandwidth, ultra-low phase noise, high frequency resolution and small footprint. Utilizing photonics modulators, filters and delay elements along with integrated electronics will allow the use of mm-wave silicon-photonics to fulfill these requirements. This project will demonstrate ultra-low phase noise, ultra-wideband, and high-resolution mm-wave silicon-photonics signal generators to advance wireless technologies for applications such as modern instrumentation, software-defined radios, radars, and warfare systems. The research has the potential to revolutionize the future of instrumentation and wireless industries and provide further technological diversification for the semiconductor industry. In addition to the aforementioned technical impacts, the project also promotes outreach activities to increase participation of under-represented groups in science and engineering, including annual summer camps for high school students. The research and educational results of this work will be disseminated to academic, industrial and government sectors.The main goal of this project is to develop novel chip-scale mm-wave silicon-photonics signal generator architectures with ultra-low phase noise, ultra-wideband, continuous tuning range, and high-resolution capabilities implemented using hybrid Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) photonics and Complementary-Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) chips. The emergence of silicon-photonics technology has enabled the potential of realizing silicon-photonics optoelectronic oscillator (OEO) to achieve microwave signal generation within the size and power consumption of small form-factor systems. However, the potential realization of existing silicon-photonics OEOs has two main challenges; first, the tuning range and phase noise are limited due to poor OEO architectural choices and, second, the photonics components’ initial responses are significantly distorted due to the process variation of silicon-photonics technology, so an automatic calibration methodology of these initial responses is missing. CMOS electronics can be employed along with the silicon-photonics OEO to perform phase/frequency locking, laser phase noise reduction, and automatic calibration of silicon-photonics components. Employing electronic control circuitry implemented on CMOS chip allows for the signal generator phase/frequency locking, laser phase noise reduction, and compensation of severe process and temperature variations in silicon-photonics. The research objectives are: (1) architecture definition of a mm-wave silicon-photonics signal generator based on an integrated phase/frequency-locked OEO with laser phase noise cancellation along with performance analysis, (2) development of a novel silicon-photonics OEO architecture and its components including modulator, filter and delay element, and algorithms/hardware for their automatic tuning, (3) implementation of novel CMOS prototypes which include the OEO electronic circuitry, laser phase noise reduction, phase/frequency locking loop and automatic tuning hardware, and (4) hybrid integration of silicon-photonics and CMOS chips and perform the required tests for the entire unit.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.