EXPERTICE:
Research Keywords:
Radio frequency, analog, CMOS, wireless communication, IoT, electronic system
Research Keywords:
Radio frequency, analog, CMOS, wireless communication, IoT, electronic system
RF Front-end Design and Measurement (Power Amplifier, Mixer, LNA)
RF IC Design (Schematic, Layout, Testing)
Analog IC Design (LDO, Op-Amp)
Electronic Systems Design (DC-DC converter)
Energy harvesting
Internet of Things (Smart-Home System)
On-going Project:
Title: Development of Multiband CMOS LNA for Wireless Applications (PhD project)
Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are rapidly evolving due to their versatility, cost-effectiveness, and wide applicability in areas such as remote sensing, healthcare, security, and traffic control. A critical challenge in WSNs is minimizing power consumption to extend the operational lifespan of battery-powered nodes. This research focuses on the design and optimization of a multiband Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) low-noise amplifier (LNA) tailored for wireless applications. The LNA, as the first active stage in a receiver, plays a pivotal role in defining the receiver's noise performance, gain, and linearity. Traditional approaches to multiband LNA design face trade-offs such as high power consumption, circuit complexity, and sensitivity to linearity. This study aims to develop a novel multiband CMOS LNA architecture using 0.13 μm Silterra CMOS technology, achieving high gain, low noise, and excellent linearity. The proposed design undergoes schematic creation, simulation, layout optimization, and post-layout validation using Cadence tools, ensuring compliance with design rules and superior performance metrics.
Related publications:
Dual band low noise amplifier: A reviewanalysis, AIP Conf. Proc., 2898, 030018 (2024), https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0194650
Design of Concurrent Dual Band Low Noise Amplifier for WLAN Applications. Journal of Advanced Research in Applied Sciences and Engineering Technology, pp.146-152.
(https://semarakilmu.com.my/journals/index.php/applied_sciences_eng_tech/article/view/5488)
A 2.4/5.2 GHz Concurrent Dual Band Low Noise Amplifier with Forward Body Bias Technique for WLAN Applications. Journal of Advanced Research in Applied Sciences and Engineering Technology (2024): 129-135.
(https://semarakilmu.com.my/journals/index.php/applied_sciences_eng_tech/article/view/5439)
Potential Research Topics:
Background
The demand for ultra-wideband LNAs is driven by 5G NR's need to support multiple frequency bands and wide channel bandwidths, especially with carrier aggregation and spectrum sharing. An LNA amplifies weak signals while introducing minimal noise, which is critical for maintaining the overall signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the receiver chain.
Research Objectives
Wideband Performance:
Develop LNAs that operate efficiently over a broad frequency range (e.g., 600 MHz to 7.125 GHz for sub-6 GHz or 24 GHz to 40 GHz for mmWave).
Ensure low noise figure (NF) and high gain across these bands.
Low Power Consumption:
Focus on energy-efficient designs to extend the battery life of mobile devices.
Investigate techniques to minimize quiescent current without degrading performance.
High Linearity:
Ensure linearity to handle strong interferers and prevent distortion, which is critical for 5G NR due to its high spectral density.
Background
Power amplifiers (PAs) are essential components of the RF front-end in 5G NR systems, particularly for mmWave applications. They amplify signals to the required power levels for transmission while maintaining linearity and minimizing distortion. In 5G, mmWave frequencies (24 GHz and above) pose unique challenges, including high power consumption, heat dissipation, and linearity requirements due to complex modulation schemes like 256-QAM.
Research Objectives
High Efficiency:
Minimize energy losses to reduce heat and power consumption in battery-powered and base station applications.
High Linearity:
Ensure distortion-free amplification for complex modulated signals, critical for achieving the high data rates promised by 5G NR.
Wideband Performance:
Support a wide frequency range (e.g., 24 GHz to 40 GHz) for 5G mmWave bands and carrier aggregation.
Compact Integration:
Enable integration with other RF front-end components in small-form-factor devices like smartphones.
Background
The increasing demands of 5G New Radio require RF front-ends to support diverse frequency bands (sub-6 GHz and mmWave), carrier aggregation, dynamic spectrum sharing, and multiple communication standards. Traditional fixed RF designs are insufficient to handle these requirements, leading to the rise of reconfigurable RF front-ends. These systems adapt dynamically to various operating conditions, improving performance, reducing hardware complexity, and enabling cost-effective solutions.
Research Objectives
Frequency Reconfigurability:
Design RF front-ends capable of operating across sub-6 GHz and mmWave bands to support diverse 5G NR bands and other coexisting standards (e.g., WiFi 6E).
Mode Reconfigurability:
Enable switching between multiple communication modes such as FDD, TDD, and full-duplex.
Beam Steering and Antenna Integration:
Incorporate reconfigurable antenna arrays and beamforming networks to support MIMO and spatial multiplexing.
Dynamic Power Management:
Optimize power usage based on operating conditions, minimizing power consumption without sacrificing performance.
Compact and Low-Cost Design:
Reduce the number of discrete components using tunable elements and system-on-chip (SoC) integration.
Background
The exponential growth of IoT devices and their integration into 5G NR networks demands innovative solutions to power these devices efficiently. Energy harvesting and wireless power transfer (WPT) technologies can enable self-powered or remotely powered devices, reducing dependence on batteries and enabling the deployment of massive IoT (mIoT) systems. 5G NR provides opportunities for energy harvesting from ambient RF signals, especially in dense urban environments with significant RF activity. Coupled with WPT, these technologies promise to revolutionize energy management in 5G ecosystems.
Research Objectives
RF Energy Harvesting:
Design RF front-ends capable of efficiently harvesting ambient RF energy across sub-6 GHz and mmWave frequencies.
Efficient Rectifier Circuits:
Develop rectifiers with high RF-to-DC conversion efficiency over a wide input power range.
Integrated WPT Systems:
Integrate WPT systems into 5G infrastructure to support remote powering of IoT devices, sensors, and wearable technology.
Adaptive Energy Harvesting:
Enable adaptive tuning for dynamic RF environments to maximize energy harvesting efficiency.
Low Power Consumption:
Minimize the power requirements of the harvesting and WPT systems for compatibility with low-energy IoT devices.