I-Corps: Acoustic Filters for Next Generation Wireless Handsets

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是开发技术，以提高无线基础设施的带宽。世界各地的监管机构正在分配新的无线频谱，以支持不断增长的吞吐量需求。无线电系统将需要低损耗的宽带宽，以满足所需的数据吞吐量。目前可用的手机滤波器技术不能以可接受的损耗实现如此宽的带宽，导致次优的系统吞吐量。该技术将无线电前端的可用带宽增加了两倍，以满足5G滤波器市场空间的需求。薄膜技术使系统能够实现宽带宽、低损耗，可以在外部代工厂以成本有效的方式以高产率制造，并且可以以符合行业标准的形状因子使用。这个I-Corps项目是基于一种射频滤波器技术的开发，该技术使用了锂离子（LN）谐振器的薄膜。特别令人感兴趣的是作为第五代蜂窝网络部署计划（5G）的一部分定义的LTE 77-79频段，其服务于3.3 GHz - 5 GHz频谱。所提出的技术探索了能够使用LN薄膜制造声谐振器的微制造工艺的转化。LN技术的主要挑战是确保在低成本制造过程中在5G频段（3-6 GHz）的感兴趣频率下运行。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过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，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of technologies to improve bandwidth in the wireless infrastructure. Regulatory agencies world-wide are allocating new wireless spectrum to support increasing throughput demands. Radio systems will require wide bandwidth with low loss to meet the demanded data throughout. Currently available handset filter technology is not able to achieve such wide bandwidth with acceptable loss, resulting in sub-optimum system throughput. The proposed technology triples the bandwidth available in a radio’s front-end to serve the needs of the 5G filter market space. The thin-film technology enables a system that achieves wide bandwidths, low loss, may be manufactured with high yields in a cost-efficient manner at external foundries, and can be used in a form factor consistent with industry standards. This I-Corps project is based on the development of a radio frequency filter technology that uses thin-films of lithium niobate (LN) resonators. Of particular interest are the LTE 77-79 bands defined as part of the 5th generation cellular network deployment plan (5G), which serves the 3.3 GHz - 5 GHz spectrum. The proposed technology explores translation of a microfabrication process capable of manufacturing acoustic resonators using thin-films of LN. The main challenge for the LN technology is ensuring operation at the frequency of interest for 5G bands (3-6 GHz) in a low-cost manufacturing process.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.