SWIFT: Reconfigurable Microwave Silicon Photonics Filters and Passive-User-Friendly Protocols for Spectrum Coexistence

无线无源系统，如射电天文接收器，或大气和地球空间科学及气候观测接收器，对地面蜂窝通信信号等其他有源无线干扰极为敏感。因此，它们通常需要专用的无线电频段以及周围的保护频段。在许多情况下，主动用户可能不会在这些地区物理上共存，因此许多被动用户基础设施都建在偏远地区。这种情况通常会降低有效的频谱效率，阻碍无源系统的部署，并对未来的科学发现造成障碍。一种新的方法将是允许被动和主动用户在相邻频段和相邻位置操作。这将允许活跃用户在以前不允许的保护频段内操作，从而显著提高频谱效率。该项目在芯片规模的微波硅光子学(Sip)自适应滤波器架构和主动(移动)用户侧的被动用户友好的资源分配协议方面进行了创新，从而解决了被动和主动(移动)用户之间的有效频谱利用/共存问题。本项目中提出的微波sip滤波器以及无线协议的研究可能会给无线通信行业的未来带来革命性的变化，并为光子和半导体行业提供进一步的技术多样化。除技术影响外，拟议项目还促进外联活动，以增加来自代表性不足群体的学生对科学和工程的参与，包括每年为高中生举办为期一周的夏令营。这项工作的研究和教育成果将传播到学术界、工业界和政府部门。本项目旨在开发(1)新型芯片级微波Sip可重构/自适应滤波器架构，在无源用户端使用由纳米互补金属氧化物半导体(CMOS)SOI芯片控制的绝缘体上硅(SOI)光芯片，该芯片允许电控滤波器配置和干扰抑制，以动态保护无源(移动)用户端的频带。(2)无源(移动)用户端资源分配的无源用户友好协议。研究目标是：(1)一种微波sip/cmos自适应滤波器结构及其光子学/电子学组件，以及它们在无源用户端自动调谐的算法/硬件；(2)为所提出的无源用户友好协议提供可证明服务保证的在线策略；以及(3)使用测试平台来验证所提出的无源用户端自适应滤波器和有源用户端的资源分配协议的混合集成。一个多功能的微波sip自适应滤波单元将在室温下潜在地连接到主天线和低噪声放大器(无论是在室温还是在低温下)的无源用户接收器。该单元包括高度选择性、可重新配置的sip带通和陷波滤波器，以动态选择10-50 GHz范围内所需的无源用户频段，并将主动用户拒绝为干扰器。另一方面，将开发一种被动用户友好的协议，用于主动(移动)用户侧的资源分配。该协议将具体考虑所提出的无源用户侧电光接收机的灵敏度和线性度，以及不同类型的有源用户应用的不同特征和服务需求。将为该协议开发具有可证明服务保证的在线算法。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Wireless passive systems such as radio astronomy receivers, or atmospheric and geo-space science and climatological observation receivers are extremely sensitive to other active wireless interferences such as terrestrial cellular communications signals. As a result, they typically require dedicated radio frequency bands along with guard frequency bands around them. In many cases, active users may not physically co-exist in such areas, and many passive user infrastructures have therefore been built in remote areas. Such scenarios generally reduce the effective spectrum efficiency hindering the deployment of passive systems and creating barriers against future scientific discoveries. A new approach would be to allow both passive and active users to operate in adjacent frequency bands and in neighboring locations. This will allow active users to operate in previously unallowable guard frequency bands thereby significantly enhancing spectrum efficiency. This project introduces innovations on chip-scale microwave silicon photonics (SiP) adaptive filter architectures on the passive user side and passive-user-friendly protocols for resource allocation on the active (mobile) user side and thus addresses effective spectrum utilization/coexistence between passive and active (mobile) users. The research proposed in this project on microwave SiP filters along with wireless protocols can potentially revolutionize the future of wireless communication industries and provide further technological diversification for the photonic and semiconductor industries. Besides the technical impacts, the proposed project also promotes outreach activities to increase participation of students from underrepresented groups in science and engineering, including annual one-week summer camps for high school students. The research and educational results of this work will be disseminated to academic, industrial and government sectors.This project intends to develop (1) novel chip-scale microwave SiP reconfigurable/adaptive filter architectures on the passive user side, using a Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) optical chip controlled by a nanometer Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) SOI-chip that both allows for electrically controlled filter configuration and jammer rejection to dynamically protect passive users’ bands and (2) passive-user-friendly protocols for resource allocation on the active (mobile) user side. The research objectives are the development of: (1) a microwave SiP/CMOS adaptive filter architecture and its photonics/electronics components, along with algorithms/hardware for their automatic tuning on the passive user side, (2) online policies with provable service guarantees for the proposed passive-user-friendly protocol, and the (3) hybrid integration of the proposed adaptive filter on the passive user and resource allocation protocols in the active user sides using a test bench for verification of effective spectrum utilization. A versatile microwave SiP adaptive filter unit will be potentially connected to a passive user receiver in room temperature after the main antenna and low noise amplifier (either in room or cryogenic temperature). This unit includes highly selective reconfigurable SiP bandpass and notch filters to dynamically select the desired passive user band within 10-50 GHz range and reject active users as jammers. On the other hand, a passive-user-friendly protocol for resource allocation on the active (mobile) user side will be developed. This protocol will specifically consider both the sensitivity and linearity of the proposed electrooptic receiver on the passive user side, and the diverse features and service requirements of heterogeneous active user applications. Online algorithms with provable service guarantees will be developed for this protocol.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.