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Description of the group: The purpose of the following overview is to shed some light on the expected development in the field of transmitters and receivers, including components and software. The transmitters and receivers in question are to be regarded as sub-systems, where the main system functions are connected to communications and navigation. The views concerning receivers apply mainly to the functions of receivers, but to some extent also to the purpose and use of these functions.
Position paper
Slide Show
1 Scope
The scope of this paper is limited by its authors, and by the other position papers, to encompass electronic, acoustic, photonic and micro/nano-electromechanical devices, circuits, components, systems and their interfacing with the rest of the world. Typically, transmitters and receivers are employed for such interfacing.
There will obviously be some overlap with other position papers developed within InfoSam2020; hopefully to the pedagogical benefit to the reader.
Most importantly, we try to identify trends with considerable impact on the direction and rate our society is moving. The key words are: convergence, integration, communication everywhere and at all times, and ubiquitous computing. We will concentrate on the “hard” side of this trend, but will include embedded system software whenever appropriate to achieve proper design tradeoffs. One spotted trend in this area is “software radio”, where traditional hardware parts may be implemented in software. Moreover, whenever necessary for future research within the scope of “Electronics”, we will envision development of new applications to our research areas, fueled by progress in computational science.
2 Introduction
Nanotechnology can be seen as the technology based on devices taking advantage of quantum effects and size effects occurring in nm-dimension objects. It is a cross-disciplinary endeavour, relying on subjects such as physics, chemistry, electrical engineering, biology and medicine. Moreover, the ability to control or manipulate matter on the atomic scale is central to nanotechnology, and a basis for future electronic applications.
Transmitters and receivers, including components and software, are vital to connect system functions in a network.. The transmitters and receivers in question are to be regarded as sub-systems, where the main system functions are connected to communications and navigation. The views concerning receivers apply mainly to the functions of receivers, but to some extent also to the purpose and use of these functions.
Optics and photonics include: Fiber optical communications: dense wavelength-division-multiplexing, optical routing and processing. Optical sensors: applications in medicine, structure monitoring, and offshore. Quantum communications: Quantum cryptography, teleportation. Quantum information processing (quantum computing). To increase the speed of optical communication systems, more data processing will be performed at the optical layer. The technology for optical processing will be applied and further developed for the next generation of communications; quantum communications, i.e., exchanging quantum information (quantum bits). Due to low decoherence, photons may also be interesting for quantum computing if sufficiently efficient nonlinear interactions are discovered (nanotechnology). Quantum memory may be achieved using techniques for "stopping" the photons. Optical components used for classical and quantum communication will also be interesting in sensor technology, e.g. for application in medicine.
Acoustics spans a very wide range of research fields and application areas. Within InfoSam2020, we concentrate on the areas engineering and environmental acoustics (noise control and prediction for mechanical equipment, vehicles, buildings, etc as well as outdoor sound propagation), underwater acoustics (remote sensing and other applications), and music and audio technology (sound recording, transmission, reproduction etc). Some closely related fields such as speech technology are represented in the INFOSAM areas of Language technology and Communication technology.
3Authoritative foresight sourcesBelow are given a few references to international foresight or review papers of relevance for “Electronics”.
Let us begin with the study on “Teknisk Framsyn” (Technological foresight) in Sweden. This study produced a series of reports, developed and presented in 1999. It was developed as a joint effort between The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA), the Swedish National Board for Industrial and Technical Development (NUTEK), the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research and the Federation of Swedish Industries, and is conducted in close cooperation with the Government, companies, authorities and other interested parties. One of the reports considered “Information and Communication Systems”, with key areas: ubiquitous IT, complex systems, infotainment (Upplevelseteknologi), information safety and security, architecture and infrastructure, and interfacing. An update, called Nytt, bättre och säkrare – IT i framtidssamhellets tjänst (New, better and more secure – IT at the service of future society) was published in 2003, and can also be found on [2]. The three keywords are not new to us: convergence, integration, and transparency (ubiquitous computing). This trend is fueled by Moore’s law, and progress in wireless communication. From our point of view, this report also embraces R&D & education in micro- and nano-electronics, wireless communication, RF devices, and more within the realm of “Electronics”.
3.1 The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors
The famous Moore’s law from 1965 states that the number of transistors that can be economically integrated on a chip doubles every year. More recently, the doubling takes about 18 months. Several corollaries of this “law” (really an observation and a 10 year prediction) offer better computing performance, and less power consumption, as feature sizes decrease. The semiconductor industry, and the EDA industry (EDA – Electronic Design Automation), both work hard to continue fulfilling Moore’s law. To do so, roadmaps are needed, to identify and eliminate possible stumbling blocks. The most authoritative map available is the so-called International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors.The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) is an assessment of the semiconductor technology requirements. The objective of the ITRS is to ensure advancements in the performance of integrated circuits. This assessment is a cooperative effort of the global industry manufacturers and suppliers, government organizations, consortia, and universities.The ITRS identifies the technological challenges and needs facing the semiconductor industry over the next 15 years, including possibilities for nanotechnology devices. The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), the European Electronic Component Association (EECA), the Japan Electronics & Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA), the Korean Semiconductor Industry Association (KSIA), and Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association (TSIA) sponsor ITRS. The 2003 roadmaps are found via [1].
3.2 The MEDEA+ Design Automation Roadmap 2002
This roadmap outlines the future requirements for design automation solutions for Europe. The steering group had representatives from all major semiconductor companies in Europe including STMicroelectronics, Philips, Infineon, Alcatel, and Ericsson.
3.3 The National Nanotechnology Initiative
The American initiative for research and development based on nanotechnology, based on the document NSTC/NSET Report, July 2000, see [NNI04].
3.4 Biomedical applications for MEMS and microfluidics
Proc. IEEE, Vol 92, No. 1, January 2004 is a special issue on biomedical applications for MEMS and microfluidics. The issue is a review more than a foresight paper. On the other hand, many of the technologies reviewed are not very common in clinical practice today so one possible future prospect would be further development and more widespread deployment of these technologies. At any rate, the reviews point out the major applications and motivation for research in the field.
3.5 Nanotechnology at NTNU
Nanotechnology at NTNU 2003
The report Nanotechnology at NTNU 2003, ref. [?], initiated by Rector, addresses status and future possibilities for nanotechnology research at NTNU. An international panel led by Prof. B. Stokke, Dept. of Physics, wrote the report based on a site visit at NTNU and surveys of current research. Moreover, the report reviews current trends in nanotechnology initiatives in Sweden, Denmark, Europe (EU), USA, and Japan.
3.6 Acoustics
Computational acoustics Many fields in applied acoustics rely heavily on the computation of sound field propagation through fluids and structures. Most computational methods have a complexity which grows very rapidly with the studied bandwidth. A standard method like the finite element method, which has been a standard tool for at least 20 years in, e.g., the automotive industry, is still only capable of covering a limited portion of the frequency range of interest. Consequently, a steady growth in computational power will be absorbed immediately in today's standard tools. Other computational techniques are still waiting for more computational power such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD). CFD is used in, e.g., studies of the interaction between sound, fluid dynamics and vibrating surfaces. In environmental noise control, the so-called EU noise directive states that strategic noise mapping must be carried out for all large European cities, railways and roads no later than 2008 [EUNo03]. This is a highly complex task, which is computationally very demanding when large areas should be studied, and many noise sources need to be taken into account. In addition the available calculation methods can not yet handle, to a satisfying degree, realistic built-up areas.
Marine acoustics Underwater or marine acoustics is very important as a key element in the preservation, development and exploitation of marine resources, and therefore of particular importance for Norway, as reflected by the national thematic research area of marine technology. The main thrust in recent years has been on seafloor mapping and characterisation using acoustic backscattered data to estimate the structure and composition of the seafloor and the upper layers, including detection of objects, buried or partially buried in the seafloor. Furthermore, acoustics is the primary tool for surveying the amount and distribution of biomass, fish and plankton in the sea. Recent work has been in connection with an industry project aiming to develop acoustic sensors for gathering acoustic backscattered data of plankton from moored or drifting buoys.
Traffic noise Noise from road traffic noise and from aircraft is dominating the noise problem in Norway and it has been estimated that approximately half a million people in Norway are strongly disturbed by noise sources (Regjeringens miljøvernpolitikk og rikets miljøtilstand, St meld nr 8, 1999-2000). In more densely populated countries the problem is even larger. Research is needed for developing less noisy cars and trains and an understanding of the road-tire noise generation and of the mechanism for rail and wheel corrugations are especially important for reducing the noise emission. As mentioned under computational acoustics, models for sound propagation from a noise source in realistic environments need to be developed. Finally, better models of how noise is perceived are needed, as discussed below under Perception of sound. Communication acoustics
Perception of sound A parallel trend in several fields is that insufficient knowledge of how a noise situation is perceived by a listener might be a limiting factor, rather than the available computational power. As an example, when increasingly accurate predictions of noise situations can be made, inaudible details might be computed at a high cost. Consequently, models for the annoyance as caused by various noise sources need to be developed compared to today's situation, as was mentioned under Traffic noise above. A similar situation occurs in communication acoustics, whether it is speech or general audio signals. The available bandwidth for communication increases rapidly and makes new multimedia services possible [AES]. Knowledge of the perceived Quality of Service by the end users will be essential for an efficient use of available resources [ITU]. The rapid development of audio and video codecs in the last decade, such as in the MPEG standards, is an example of that.
3.7 IEEE on edu?
4. Drivers
4.1 Nanotechnology
There is an increasing number of research centres worldwide devoted towards nanotechnology. Some important initiatives are presented briefly below.
NNI This initiative was launched by former President Clinton in 2001, and is the basis for the United States government’s investment in nanotechnology. The goal is to ensure the leading role of United States in the first half of the 21st century. There is a long term perspective of the initiative, and it aims at novel breakthrough within areas such as medicine and nanoelectronics, and it is of a cross-disciplinary fashion. President Bush has proposed to spend almost 1 billion US dollars on nanotechnology R&D in 2005.
EU Within the European Union there is a current trend towards nanotechnology, and its impact on today’s research. Out of 17.5 billion € allocated to the 6th Framework program, 1.3 billion € is thought for funding within nanotechnology, knowledge-based materials, and new industrial processes and devices [EUNA04]. Three priorities areas have been suggested, including 1) information society technologies (nanoelectronics, optoelectronics, micro-nanotechnology) and 2) nanotechnologies and nanosciences, knowledge based multifunctional materials and new production processes and devices.
The Nordic countries In our neighbouring countries there are several examples of nanotechnology initiatives: for example MC2 at Chalmers and The Nanometer Consortium in Lund in Sweden. It is worth noting that at Lund there is a new master/siv ing education in nanotechnology. This is a cross disciplinary education, with one basis in electrical engineering. Sweden does also have a “Swedish Nano Network”.
4.2 MEMSFor MEMS devices, the main applications have traditionally been automotive air bag accelerometers and cheap disposable blood pressure sensors. Upcoming market drivers includes feedback mechanical sensors for minimally invasive and robotic surgery, acoustic chemical sensors for smart buildings, and switches and filters for high frequency integrated circuits. Minimally invasive surgery offers benefits both in economic terms and in terms of reduced patient trauma. Currently, minimally invasive surgery accounts for about 40% of the total number of surgical interventions. In the coming 15 years, this share is predicted to increase to about 80%. The main problem hampering a more widespread use of the technology is that it restricts the 3D vision and manual dexterity of the surgeon. With MEMS devices, it would be possible to measure applied force and also provide a means of measuring the mechanical properties of different tissues. Acoustic chemical gas sensors for applications in smart buildings could be valuable for optimisation of energy economy and indoor air quality.
MEMS devices have also started to find applications in high frequency electronics. Currently, the main application is for switches. MEMS switches offer benefits such as lower losses, better isolation and better linearity than PIN diode switches. High quality MEMS resonators and mechanically tuned capacitors have also been demonstrated. Both switches and resonators are predicted to become important as means of increasing the integration level.
Passive microarrays based on hybridization and optical readout of signals from fluorescent tags are currently dominant research tools in genetic research. These analysis tools call for sample preparation and can often only be used in order to assess the final result. In order to integrate a sequence of biological or chemical processes, microfluidic devices (lab-on-a-chip) are being developed. This kind of devices is often implemented as plastic chips with miniaturized channels for fluid flow and passive pressure-actuated valves for enabling the flow into a given channel.
Important drivers in this field are the effectivisation of genetic research and drug development, and the commercial deployment of newly discovered bioassays for point-of-care and field applications. The development of this kind of bioassays could be regarded as an important step on the road to personalized and predictive medicine. Apart from medical applications, military and forensic applications may be important drivers in early phases of technical development.
The automation of biologic research by the integration of machine learning software and robotic hardware capable of carrying out the actual synthesis and analysis processes offers benefits in cost efficiency by a reduction in the number of necessary analyses, unattended operation, and lead time reduction.
In order to put the acquired biomedical knowledge to a more widespread use, it is of interest to develop cheap disposable microfluidic devices that are rugged enough for applications outside research laboratories. One way of achieving this could be to break down the analyses in elementary operations that could be implemented by general-purpose programmable microfluidic hardware.
Telecommunication, sensor- and medical systems are examples of application areas for analog and mixed-signal (AMS) integrated systems. The evolution of AMS sub-systems will be determined by the interplay between cost and performance, where performance is often measured in terms of speed and complexity. Important system drivers are:
4.3 Transmitters and receiversThe drivers of the development of transmitters and receivers for wireless communication are the mass markets. Development costs are so high that they can only be justified by very large quantities of units sold. As an example, about one million equipments containing GPS receivers were sold in Europe in the year 2000, but this volume is expected to reach six millions in a year or two from now. About ¾ of this latter number concerns GPS receiver cards mounted in mobile phones, and the rest is mainly car-mounted units. A consequence of the attraction of the mass markets and the subsequent stiff competition is the declining price per unit, which in its turn further increases the size of the market. The exponential growth of the mobile-phone market is another example of the same kind.
5. National partners
MEF Mikroelektronikk-forum (MEF) is a national consortium of around 10 companies and the Department. It focuses on recruitment and education of microelectronics designers.
NMC A micro-technological research laboratory is established in Gaustadbekkdalen towards micro and nanotechnology based on silicon [SINT04]. This initiative is headed by A. Hanneborg, SINTEF Elektronikk og kybernetikk.
NFR The Norwegian Research Council (NFR) has launched a program called NANOMAT [NAMA04] towards nanotechnology and novel materials. This program is an important basis for funding of future experimental research within novel electronic materials for nano-scale detectors and sensors.
NTNU There is currently an effort to establish a cross-disciplinary NTNU Nanotechnology laboratort at the Gløshaugen campus, with emphasis on four subjects: 1. Nano-electronics, -photonics, and –magnetism, 2. Bionanotechnolgy, 3. Nanostructured materials, and 4. nanotechnolgy for energy and the environment. The faculty will identify possible national partners in this foresight work on electronics. We can select partners for discussion, partners we believe will stay “alive” for a long time. Such partners are found in companies, research institutes and in governance. But we should also think about the so-called “yet unborn enterprises” that will be born out of innovation from our faculty.
SINTEF IKT Research collaboration on research project in communication acoustics and environmental acoustics.
Statoil AS Financing of adjunct professor's position in marine acoustics
The Norwegian Defence Research Establishment Collaboration on research project in marine acoustics/computational acoustics.
Table 5.1 present some typical examples of partners that are actively collaborating with the scientific staff today. It also includes areas where we expect future innovations that may be commercialized.
Table 5.1. Limited overview of archetypical enterprises
6. Possible scenarios
Nanotechnology is cross-disciplinary as subject, and future electronic devices will not only be based on a continued downscaling of standard silicon technology. Novel electronic phenomenae encountered in nanometer (nm) sized materials, biological, and vivid materials will be important, and increased functionalization is expected. This is thought to lead to novel applications and to revolutionize the world around us. It is worth quoting NNI in this context: “The impact of nanotechnology on health, wealth, and lives of people could be at least as significant as the combined influences of microelectronics, medical imaging, computer aided engineering, and man-made polymers developed in the century just past”.
7. Important areas for R&D & education within the scope
CAS (Circuits and Systems) The area Circuits and Systems encompasses (in Norway) design of digital and analog devices and systems. Manufacturing is mostly done abroad, and we do not believe that Norway will get to produce microelectronics components. Today, that major companies are “fabless”, implying that production is done where suited, based upon computer-generated masking data.
Research within AMS (Analog and Mixed Signal) integrated circuits will continue to focus on techniques and architectures for further increase in speed/frequency and accuracy. At the same time, the power consumption must be reduced.
Key areas will include analog IPs for SOCs, sensor interfaces, data converters, and wireless system components.
Technology push such as, for example, MEMS-CMOS integration will offer new devices to the designers disposal, which may help to overcome some of the challenges listed above.
With the advent of nanotechnology, new electronic devices and sensors will be available. Also today’s emerging applications involving bio-inspired systems and interfacing to biological systems are expected to play a much more important role in the future, which will clearly have an impact on R&D trends within AMS circuits.
An increased need for multidisciplinary knowledge among future students is expected due to, for example, the emerging application mentioned above. Hence, the selection of basic courses may change.
Furthermore, demand for ever decreasing design cycle time, and retargeting of AMS circuit blocks into other process technologies and variants, makes it necessary to develop efficient re-use methodologies for AMS functions.
Other important areas:
The future development in microelectronics and MEMS process technology will cause parasitic phenomena and high frequency effects to become more marked. In order to exploit the inherent performance of a process technology, it will be necessary for the future designer to have a wide knowledge in fields ranging from physical phenomena like electromagnetism, device physics and modelling, to high level systems aspects like signal processing, modulation, communication and information theory. No single person could be expected to be an expert in all the relevant fields, but they should, at the very least, be capable of communication with experts in other fields.
7.1 Nano technologyIt is interesting to note that the report Nanotechnology at NTNU 2003 specifically recommends to focus on research to develop tools for nm-structuring of functional materials for use within 1. spintronics and 2. electromechanical MESA structures for future NEMS applications, nanoscale detectors and transducers. This fits well to the experimental activates at IME, e.g. Department of Electronics and Telecommunications, where there is a large activity within the fields of micro- and nanotechnology. A large part of the activity is centred on developing low-dimensional electronic materials for future use in nanoelectronics and nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) applications. There is also ongoing work towards RF-MEMS and sensor technologies. The research aims at becoming a foundation for novel application within information and communication technology.
Also, the report points towards the goal of a cross-disciplinary master education program at NTNU within nanotechnology. In such a program physical electronics will play a central part.
7.2 Radio systems
TRANSMITTERS
The transmitter in a system for communications or navigation is one of the most power-consuming parts. In recent years, the drive for lighter and smaller units with more functionality has been pronounced. This increases the challenges for the transmitter. Properties like linearity, efficiency, bandwidth and power consumption in a transmitter chain are therefore increasingly important. This trend will no doubt continue in the future.
One important trend in communications systems is the use of increasingly advanced modulation schemes. This can clearly be seen when looking at the trend from “old” analogue systems (e.g. NMT, AMPS) to the digital systems (e.g. GSM) of today, and to the future systems (UMTS and beyond). The use of advanced modulation techniques to transmit more information per unit of bandwidth requires improved linearity and efficiency of the transmitter. The power amplifier is the main source of distortion and power consumption in a transmitter chain. In the future, there will certainly be an increased focus on power amplifiers and transmitters [TARGET].
In future wireless systems, the flexibility of transmitters will be one of the keys to integrate different systems in one unit. Today, GSM implements “tri-band” receivers and transmitters, which can switch between three different frequency bands. In the future, the ability to implement several wireless systems like GSM, GPS, Bluetooth, UMTS and future systems in one unit will become even more important. Reconfigurable transmitters, which have the ability to change their behaviour to match several different systems, will require less volume, weight and power than separate transmitters for each system. Reconfigurable transmitters can be achieved by electronically changing the behaviour of components by tuning or switching components in and out of operation.
RECEIVERS
There is a general trend in receiver development which is assumed to continue for considerable time. A generic term often used is software radio. By this term, we mean receivers where some functions and a lot of parameters are controlled and can be changed by means of software, without any hardware modification. In order to exemplify this trend, receivers of satellite navigation systems are chosen below. In generic terms, there is little difference between receivers in navigation and communications, which justifies the exemplification.
A course sketch of a typical receiver design looks as follows (in this order) and will certainly remain unchanged because of the laws of physics: Antenna with preamplifier and filter(s), down-converter (to intermediate frequency), digitiser (i.e. A/D-converter), signal processors (including demodulation and filtering functions), control and computing processors, display(s).
The trend has long been to move digitisation towards higher frequencies, and this trend will no doubt continue as a consequence of improved synthesisers and faster A/D-converters, even if there may also be a rise in the number of quantisation levels. After digitisation of the signal(s), the only performance limits are the capacity of the processors and the software used.
The flexibility of receivers with regard to the ability to receive and process signals of different types and systems is increasing and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Improved performance of numerically controlled digital frequency synthesisers is very important in this respect. This means that a variety of signals at different frequencies can be down-converted to one or only a few intermediate frequencies for subsequent processing in accordance with signal characteristics and applications. Signal processing includes phase- and frequency-locked loops, correlators, digital filters of all kinds, integrators and delay lines. A lot of processing is done in parallel, which vastly increases the possibility of receiving and processing signals from different systems at the same time. E.g. one receiver may be capable of utilising signals from navigation and communications satellites simultaneously. There is no doubt that satellite navigation receivers will be able to utilise signals from all satellites above the horizon, regardless of whether they emanate from GALILEO, GLONASS or GPS satellites. The average mass user will buy navigation equipment based on the requirements of the application in question, without any consideration of the origin of the signals or the name of the satellite system(s).
If it is desirable to handle signals at very different carrier frequencies, the bottleneck of receiving equipment as sketched above will usually be the antenna and the RF front end. In order to maximise signal-to-noise ratios, it is generally advantageous to use multiple antennas, perhaps physically stacked on top of each other, instead of very wideband antennas. A similar principle can be used for the preamplifier and subsequent RF stages, i.e. several narrowband stages in parallel instead of one wideband channel. After the digitisation of the signals, however, all signals are channelised in the same manner. From this point of view, it is obvious that digitisation should be carried out as early as possible in the chain, and this has also been a trend for some years now.
7.3 Integration
A logical consequence of the ability of receivers to handle signals from different systems is integration. In this context, integration means combined and optimum use of information supplied by available systems in order to increase the performance of the integrated system beyond the level of the best participating system. With navigation as an example again, this means that position accuracies given by the integrated receiver using signals from GALILEO, GLONASS and GPS satellites at the same time are better than they would be if just one of the systems were used. Optimised use in this respect requires weighting of measurement results taking known (or at least expected) error characteristics into account. The method is called Kalman filtering and implies use of sophisticated algorithms requiring large amounts of computation. In this respect, the development of faster computation and improved software is essential. Such development has been going on for a number of years now, and there is every reason to believe that it will continue.
Mobile telephones represent a striking example of integration of navigation and communications. This implies not only a physical but also a functional symbiosis. In some applications, i.e. emergency calls from indoor positions and automatic location, both functions depend on the other.
As to physical integration, the trend is towards “receiver on a chip”. This means that miniaturisation can be brought forward from the (so far) usual partitioning between RF and IF-LF chips to one-chip solutions with dimensions in the order of some mm². In some of these applications, the problem of mutual interference through the chip itself, resulting in increased noise factors, has to be solved.
7.4 Integrity
With increasing use of electronic systems for so-called safety-of-life applications, e.g. aircraft landing and navigation of high-speed passenger craft in narrow waters, the ability of electronic systems onboard to check and report about their own performance must receive great attention. This ability is called integrity. Requirements of this kind also influence receiver design, and more attention will have to be paid to such functions in years to come, not only in navigation but also in other applications as e.g. timing and synchronisation.
COMPONENTS
RF CMOS technology
The operating frequency of components implemented in CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) process technology is steadily increasing. Currently, the technology is employed mainly for ISM (Industrial Scientific Medical) band radio transceivers for short-range communications, but attempts to employ this technology for mobile telephone and satellite-navigation transceiver building blocks are also being made. Published results have also demonstrated the performance of the technology for circuits operating at several tens of GHz. The authors of the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors [ITRS2003] predict that the choice of implementation technology in the future will be determined more by cost and performance requirements than by operating frequency.
The sensitivity and power consumption of CMOS radio receivers for the frequency range up to about 2 GHz may be improved in the future by use of MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) technology for high-Q micromechanical resonator filters and mechanically tuneable high-Q capacitors. The use of this kind of mechanical resonator filters may also facilitate a reduction of the chip area of tuned radio-frequency circuitry.
It is currently possible to integrate CMOS radio transceivers on the same chip as complex digital subsystems. Unfortunately, radio electronics and digital electronics have very different process requirements. Radio electronics relies on the use of integrated spiral inductors, which cannot be downsized. Digital electronics, on the other hand, can benefit directly from a downsizing of the minimum transistor feature size. As a consequence, it is possible that the current system integration will come to an end in the future, unless, of course, the very promising MEMS technology can be used as a replacement for spiral inductors.
Microwave component technology
At operating frequencies in the 1-100 GHz range, microwave components are usually implemented in gallium arsenide (GaAs). GaAs is chemically in the III-V group. There are several different implementations of components based on GaAs, e.g. AlGaAs and InGaP. At frequencies above 40 GHz, other III-V materials like indium phosphide (InP) show good performance. For high power densities there are several ‘new’ materials with very promising properties, such as GaN and SiC.
The use of new materials in RF front-end components will be important to achieve high linearity, high efficiency and low power consumption.
Components for high-performance radio electronics
Some of the current trends in high performance radio electronics include the development of reconfigurable or tunable systems and the development of components with smaller dimensions and higher power handling capability [Proc IEEE Feb 2004]. Reconfigurable systems can be implemented by means of MEMS switches. Ferroelectric materials with a voltage-dependent dielectric constant can be used for continuously tunable systems with a wide frequency tuning range.
Transistors based on semiconductor materials with relatively high bandgap energy can be used for the implementation of transistors with high operating temperatures. This could be employed for miniaturisation of power amplifiers. Another technology with high power handling capability is FBAR (Film Bulk Acoustic-Wave Resonator). This is a kind of devices based on stacked piezoelectric thin films that can be used for duplexers. Ambient Intelligence is the modern label for a society where our electronic “gadgets” disappear more and more from visible sites, and blend into the ambience. In the book “The New Everyday – Views on Ambient Intelligence” [EASM03], edited by Emile Aarts and Stefano Marzano at Philips Research and Philips Design, we find visions for the next decade of pervasive digital technologies. “We may find ourselves living with almost invisible, intelligent interactive systems”. The book presents different technologies that need to be developed, but also a thorough discussion of what roles we want those technologies to play. How will we interact with them? –And how can we ensure that they improve the overall quality of our lives, rather than just improving efficiency? The book describes more than 20 projects, where experts in technology, design, social sciences and business work together to get a broad and deep understanding of the issues of convergence, integration, communication everywhere and at all times, and ubiquitous computing. Obviously, the realm of “Electronics” will play a key role in such projects, and we want to contribute to the development of new devices, sensors, actuators, transmitters and receivers, and speech and audio technology to implement such systems.
8. Priorities?
References
[ITRS03] International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors; website: http://public.itrs.net/
[TEF03] Teknisk Framsyn; report: ISBN 91-7082-658-7; website: http://www.tekniskframsyn.nu/,
[NNI04] The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI); website: http://www.nano.gov/ . Also: NSTC/NSET Report: National Nanotechnology Initiative: The Initiative and its Implementation Plan
[EUNA04]http://www.cordis.lu/nanotechnology/src/era.htm
[SINT04] http://www.sintef.no/
[NAMA04] http://program.forskningsradet.no/nanomat/no/index.html?3568
References on acoustics:
[AES] "Emerging technology trends in the areas of the technical committees of the audio engineering society, J. Audio. Eng. Soc. 51, pp. 442-451 (2003).
[ITU] ITU-TE.800 (08/94), "Terms and definitions related to quality of service and network performance including dependability" (1994).
[EUNo03] http://europa.eu.int/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/l21180.htm
References on receivers and transmitters: Feng, M., Shen, S.-C., Caruth, D.C., Huang, J.-J.: ”Device Technologies for RF Front-End Circuits in Next-Generation Wireless Communications”. Proc. IEEE, February 2004, pp 354 – 375.
Akos, D.M., Ene, A., Thor, J.: “A prototyping platform for multifrequency GNSS receivers”. ION GPS/GNSS 2003, Portland, Oregon, USA, Sept. 2003.
Ståhlberg, C., Normark, P.-L.: “A hybrid GPS/GALILEO Open-Service Software Receiver Prototype”. Navconvention 2003, Geneva, Switzerland, June 2003.
Kadoyama, T. et al.: “A complete single-chip GPS receiver with 1.6-V 24-mW radio in 0.18-μm CMOS”. 2003 Symposium on VLSI Circuits. Kyoto, Japan, June 2003.
NoE - TARGET (Network of Excellence - Top Amplifier Research Groups in a European Team). EC 6th Framework Program, Contract IST-1-507893-NOE (www.target-net.org)
“Integrated Reconfigurable Radio Front-End Technology”. KMB project at SINTEF Telecom & Informatics, funded by the Norwegian Research Council.
MEDEA+
[EASM03] E. Aarts and S. Marzano, “The New Everyday – Views on Ambient Intelligence”, 010 Publishers, Rotterdam, ISBN 90-6450-502-0. Members of the working group: Professor Einar Johan Aas, Department of Electronics and Telecommunications |