High Speed Electronics Group

 

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Prof. M. Rodwell

 

 

High-Speed Electronics Group

 

 

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High-Frequency Wireless Systems (5/6G)

As the demand for wireless increases, systems are migrating to higher carrier frequencies, as these can provide wider available bandwidths and substantial spatial multiplexing even with physically small arrays. Against these advantages, higher-frequency systems have shorter range, this due to high l2/R2 path losses and high atmospheric attenuation. As of mid-2023, deployment of 38 GHz 5G cell phone links has been slowed by challenges with cost, range, and beam blockage. Focusing on 20-200 GHz carrrier frequencies, we seek to develop new system, array, module (package), and IC designs that address the limitations of high-frequency systems. The goal is affordable, robust, high-capacity, mobile communications.

 

High-Frequency Integrated Circuits and Arrays

We are developing ICs for 50-300 GHz communcations and radar (imaging) systems, including low-noise amplifiers, efficient power amplifiers, full transmitters and recievers, and single-beam and multi-beam phase arrays.

 

High-Frequency Transistors for Wireless

High-frequency ICs need high-frequency transistors. In useful, high-performance ICs, transistor power-gain cutoff frequencies must be 3:1 to 10:1 greater than the signal frequencies. In the past, our group, in collaboration with Teledyne, pioneered the development of THz InP bipolar transistors.  More recently, we have been developing InP-based FETs for high-frequency low-noise receivers.

 

 

 

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University of California, Santa Barbara

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106

 

rodwell@ece.ucsb.edu

 

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

UCSB