WiComm: Microelectronics for the Next Generation of Wireless Communication

The current trend towards portable wireless devices with full multimedia capabilities (3rd generation wireless) has been accompanied by the development of new products aimed at satisfying the ever-increasing consumer demand for higher data-rates and smaller mobile handsets. The requirement that these radio-frequency (RF) devices must meet aggressive performance specifications in a small, low-cost solution with low power dissipation, has prompted research into new integrated circuit (IC) and system technologies in the WiComm project. This research enables radios that can operate for years on a single battery charge and which can monitor health, traffic and security. These types of transceivers will literally be woven into the fabric of our daily lives as part of a wearable article of clothing, concealed within the walls of a building, or implanted into the human body. The project also aims to provide us with the 4th generation wireless capability to send or receive 100’s of Mbits/s of information anywhere, and at any time, in a compact tetherless communicator. The creation of this technology is the foundation upon which the more application and software-oriented projects in Freeband will be implemented, thereby providing us with important building blocks for the knowledge economy of the 21st century.

The economies of scale inherent in modern silicon chip technologies have driven down the cost, size and power consumption of handheld and portable devices substantially, making them attractive tools for commerce, and even fashionable lifestyle items for consumers. WiComm is aimed at integrating wireless systems on silicon for low-power and broadband applications. Highly integrated radio chips that operate at very low power levels over a short range are an enabling technology for remote monitoring and sensing networks. Advances in applications such as health monitoring of patients from their own homes, traffic control, and security monitoring depend upon the mobility inherent in wireless devices. In addition, broadband networks that offer interactive access to information over the internet have revolutionized the way we do business and spend our leisure time. Wireless broadband devices are the next step in the evolution of these networks, but economic viability depends heavily upon low-cost silicon microelectronic realizations. This project brings together research, technology and measurement expertise that spans from antenna to baseband. The work is primarily aimed at enabling wireless services at frequencies up to mm-wave that can be delivered via hand-held devices which are economical to produce in very large quantities. The project also aims at increasing the number of highly qualified people available to local industry in the area of RF hardware design, an area which is growing rapidly and where demand far exceeds supply for the foreseeable future.

Today’s GSM mobile telephone handsets are small and light, cost little to manufacture, and run for weeks on a fresh battery charge. Depending upon the system requirements, almost all of the RF functions can be implemented on a single chip for applications such as GSM. Consequently, developing nations have eagerly adopted wireless technology to upgrade outdated telecommunications infrastructure and leapfrog into the information age. Furthermore, wireless networks provide mobility; users can access shared information anywhere in the local area and remain free to roam since they don’t have to “jack-in” to a physical network access point. Development of circuits that operate at frequencies up to 60GHz – as proposed in this project - will open up many more unlicensed bands and GHz of spectrum for broadband WLAN networks and applications. Inexpensive technologies such as silicon CMOS are needed to address the economics of the consumer market and anticipated volume for these products.

Today’s radio transceivers are compact in size but noticeable, power-limited and relatively expensive for ubiquitous deployment. There are, however, attractive wireless system concepts that rely on miniature-sized radio components. A new paradigm of communications based on unobtrusive radio systems based on wireless networks using multi-hop signal processing rather than point-to-point communication is on the horizon. A network can either be constantly “on” or woken up periodically (e.g., ad-hoc networks). Both low-data-rate sensor and broadband communication networks are possible using this concept, with transmit/receive antennas either integrated on-chip or woven into textile fabric. New hardware for ubiquitous radio systems will be developed in the WiComm project.

Also, the WiComm will realize new transmission schemes utilizing multiple transmit/receive antenna’s (multiple-input-multiple-output systems) and algorithms for signal separation and detection; and develop signal processing platforms to test these algorithms. Microelectronics are used extensively in this program to shrink the size and cost of wireless hardware by combining analog and digital signal processing functions together on a single chip or into a single package. The commercialization of ultra low-power and/or broadband single-chip radio will lead to the creation of a new industry and corresponding economic growth. Integration of suitable antennas and arrays with electronics promises to solve many of the hurdles currently encountered in commercial communications systems.

The project incorporates a wide range of topics, including: novel devices, RF and microwave technology, high-speed electronics, integrated circuit design, antennas, hardware co-integration and packaging, architectures, signal processors and algorithms, system modules and system research prototypes.

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