epsrc projects in microwave, millimetre-wave and thz research · m1. demonstration of devices with...
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Slide 1 of 108
EPSRC Projects in Microwave, Millimetre-Wave and THz Research
WF12
Professor Peter Gardner
The University of Birmingham
Slide 2 of 108
Workshop Programme
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
14:20 – 14:25 Welcome and Introductions 14:25 – 15:00 EPSRC RF and Microwave project portfolio and future strategic directions and ambitions. Matthew Scott, EPSRC 15:00 – 15:30 Ultimate Electromagnetics and Novel Materials: QUEST, SYMETA and Graphene, Prof. Yang Hao, Queen Mary University of London 15:30 – 16:00 Integration of RF Circuits with High Speed GaN Switching on Silicon Substrates Dr K. Elgaid, Glasgow; Prof. P. Houston, Sheffield; Prof. P. Tasker, Cardiff 16:40 – 17:10 Informed RF for 5G and Beyond Dr Pei Xiao, Surrey 17:10 – 17:40 FARAD: Frequency Agile Radio. Prof. Tim O’Farrell, Sheffield; Prof. Mark Beach, Bristol 17:40 – 18:10 Low THz Technology and Applications: TRAVEL, Micromachined Circuits for THz Comms, and PATHCAD. Prof. M.J. Lancaster; Dr M. Gashinova; Prof. P. Gardner. Birmingham. 18:10 – 18:20 Open Discussion and Concluding Remarks
Slide 3 of 108
EPSRC RF and Microwave project portfolio and future strategic
directions and ambitions.
Matthew Scott
EPSRC
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Slide 4 of 108
Ultimate Electromagnetics and Novel Materials: QUEST, SYMETA and
Graphene
Prof. Yang Hao
Queen Mary University of London
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Slide 5 of 108
Integration of RF Circuits with High Speed GaN Switching on Silicon Substrates
Paul J Tasker, Johannes Benedikt & Jonathan Lees (Cardiff University), Peter Houston & Kean Boon Lee (Sheffield University), Khaled Elgaid &
Iain Thayne (Glasgow University), Colin Humphries & David Wallis (Cambridge University), Andrew Forsyth (Manchester University)
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Slide 6 of 108
Project
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
GaN on Si Technology Platform o GaN HFETs is a technology of choice for Power Electronics
• High Efficiency Switching Amplifiers
o GaN HFETs is a technology of choice for RF/Millimeter Wave Electronics • High Efficiency Carrier Amplifiers
o Advantageous to have a common platform • On Silicon for manufacturability and integration
o Building on Established Expertise • GaN on Si Power Electronics (PowerGaN)
• Millimeter Wave Integrated Circuits
Integration of RF Circuits with High Speed GaN Switching on Silicon Substrates - £2.56M Project Running from July 2016 to June 2019
Slide 7 of 108
Motivation (1)
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Output Power
Gain
Efficiency
Linear Non-Linear
Maximum
Required
Power
capability
from the
amplifier
The amplifier
operates
most of the time
in the average
power region
Peak
Power
8dB
Average
Power
Probability Density
Distribution Function (PDF)
Crest Factor Reduction
Clipping!
Peak to Average Power Ratio PAPR
Power Amplifier Efficiency Challenge - problem with non-constant envelope modulation
Slide 8 of 108
Motivation (2)
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Linear Non-Linear
Peak
Power
8dB
Average
Power Issues
• Bandwidth of input signal is significantly increased x5
• PAPR of input signal is increased (Crest Factor Reduction)
• Requires high speed DAC and ADC
• Requires complex digital computation and so consumes Power
! "#!! "#$
ADVANCES IN PREDISTORTION
TECHNIQUE
DPD system components:
1. Engine to synthesize the predistorted output
2. Coefficient identification and updating algorithm
3. Transmitter observation receiver to monitor linearity
Digital predistortion block diagram 18
Source: Boumaiza
WAMICON 2015 Plenary Talk
Feedback
Transmit
Digital Pre-distortion (DPD) - allows for operation in the non-linear region
Slide 9 of 108
Amplifier Concepts
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
PA1 Digital
Baseband
+
Signal
Division
+
Up
Conversion PA2
S
Concepts
• Chireix Amplifier (Constant Envelope Operation - LINC)
• Doherty Amplifier (Modify RF Output Load))
• Envelope Tracking (Modify Drain Bias)
Input
Digital
Information
Output
Modulated RF
Carrier
Advanced Amplifier System Concepts for high PAPR Signals - Accommodate/modify the Efficiency/Power Characteristic (and Linearity?)
Baseband
Frequencies - Switching Amplifier
Carrier Frequencies - RF Amplifier
Slide 10 of 108
Materials and Devices
Peter Houston (Sheffield University)
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Slide 11 of 108
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Requirements for Envelope Modulators
The Envelope Modulation will be formed by the driver, the Half Bridge and the output filter
Full integration from gate driver to RFPA required
Gate driver has to be integrated with power switches
HFET switches will need to operate at the limit of their frequency and efficiency
Digital/RF interface critical
Envelope signal
Slide 12 of 108
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Device Challenges
Project milestones M1. Demonstration of devices with switching time < 10 ns M2. Demonstration of a high-speed buck converter MMIC – target bandwidth 200 MHz (requires switching time < 1 ns), current handling up to 3 A and voltage 50 V (already demonstrated in PowerGaN) M3. Incorporation of a 600 mA gate driver circuit (need to keep simple) integrated with M2 above M4. Design and realisation of RF PA module MMIC suitable for 5 GHz M5. Demonstration of integration of envelope modulator and RFPA
GaN Cap AlGaN Barrier
GaN Channel GaN Buffer and AlGaN Transition
Silicon Substrate
Drain
SiNx Passivation
Gate Dielectric Source
Gate
2DEG
Source Field Plate • Depletion mode devices can be
used (easier than enhancement mode devices)
• Basic device technologies already developed
• Need to push switching speed to the limit and fully integrate to avoid parasitics
Slide 13 of 108
Integration of GaN Power and RF Devices
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
• A key challenge for the integration of GaN Power and RF devices is the development of a common epitaxy platform
• GaN power devices • Conducting substrate preferred to allow grounding of the back plane of
the device • GaN RF devices
• Insulating substrate preferred to prevent coupling of RF signal to free carriers
• Also need to consider • RF Loss due to coupling of passive circuit elements with free carriers in
substrate • Response time of traps in the GaN buffer which control effects such as
leakage, “current collapse”, “punch-through” and “kink”
Slide 14 of 108
Comparison of Substrates for GaN RF Devices
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Substrate Substrate
Cost
£/cm2
Thermal
conductivity
W/cmK
Lattice
mismatch to
GaN
Thermal
expansion
mismatch to
GaN
Residual
strain at RT
SiC 10 4.2 Compressive
(3.5%)
Tensile
(-29%)
Close to zero
Sapphire 1 0.23 Compressive
(16%)
Compressive
(34%)
Compressive
Si 0.1 1.5 Tensile
(-17%)
Tensile
(-54%)
Tensile
• SiC has best materials performance, • Low mismatch, high conductivity, Insulating • but cost is high
• Si has many challenges, but • cost is low • large wafer sizes (150mm and 200mm) allow low cost processing in Si foundry • Is the preferred substrate for GaN Power devices
Slide 15 of 108
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Materials Challenges to be Address in Project
DCIV
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
0 5 10 15 20 25
Drain Voltage (V)
Dra
in C
urr
ent (m
A/m
m)
f0510 4x75_0d
Substrates
Buffer layers
Barrier layers
Channel
Scaling of barrier layer - Optimised ns
- Optimised gate control
Group III diffusion in to Si substrate. - Control of substrate conductivity
Optimum buffer thickness -Reduced coupling to substrate - Stand off voltage
Buffer layer doping. - Fe vs Carbon - Kink in IV characteristics - Current Collapse - Control of Punch Through
Control of surface states
Kink
AlGaN vs AlInN - Optimised ns
- Reliability
Channel thickness
Double Heterostructures?
Slide 16 of 108
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Wafer ID Anneal
time/temp
(secs/oC)
Rsheet
(ohms/sq)
Comment
substrate-1 - 183000 As received
substrate-2 - 340000 As received
1900 900/1175 1326 Clean reactor
1925 1500/1225 7118 Coated
reactor
• Average Rsheet = 1326 ohms/sq
• Minimum Rsheet = 503 ohms/sq
Resistivity Map of Wafer 1900
• GaN RF devices are often produced on high resistivity Si (upto 10k ohm.cm)
• However, after GaN Growth Si resistivity can be significantly reduced due to
• Thermal cycling
• Group III atom diffusion
• Note significant non-uniformity of substrate resistivity
• Thermal generation of carriers can also affect substrate resistivity
• Typical device junction temp >150oC
Effect of GaN Growth on Hi-Res Si Substrates
Slide 17 of 108
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
GaN High Electron Mobility Switching Transistor (HEMT)
D
G G
S
8mm 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
1100
I DS(m
A/m
m)
VGS
(V)
VGS
= -11 to +2 V
VGS
= 1V
Ron
= 4.22 mohm
D-MODE HEMT
DC characteristics
Slide 18 of 108
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Switching Characteristics
Current switching times ~100 ns but significant room for improvement!
Slide 19 of 108
Devices and Circuits
Khaled Elgaid (Glasgow University)
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Slide 20 of 108
Outline
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
o Why RF/Switching GaN on LR Si MMIC?
o RF GaN on LR Si Devices/MMIC Technology Challenges
o GaN on LR Si HFETs Initial Results
o MMIC on LR Si Interconnect/Passives Initial Results
Slide 21 of 108
Why RF/Switching GaN on LR Si MMIC?
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
• RF Market (2014) $1.98 Billion
• Base Station dominates
• GaN forecast for 2020 ~ 50% of base station
• Market expected to grow
Ref: CSI 2016 (ABI Research 2015 & SEDI)
Competition
• LDMOS
• BipolarSi
• GaAs
• SiC
Slide 22 of 108
RF GaN on LR Si MMIC, Technology Challenges
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Substrate
Transmission Media
RF Losses
Thermal conductivity
W/cmK
SiC Low RF loss
< 1.5 dB/mm
@ 60GHz
4.2
Sapphire Low RF Loss
< 1.5 dB/mm
@ 60GHz
0.23
Si Very High RF Loss
> 20dB/mm
1.5
Slide 23 of 108
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Transistor technology Insulating Buffer Thickness < Source/Drain gap
Highest reported fT/fmax GaN on low resistivity silicon transistors
Combined with passives, can leverage potential of GaN and economy of scale of Si
6” MOCVD epi from Cambridge
σ< 40Ω.cm
RF GaN on LR Si HFETs,
Initial Results
Slide 24 of 108
GaN on LR Si MMIC Interconnect, Decoupling Techniques
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Low loss transmission line technology on LR Si
Performance meets loss specification of < 1.5 dB/mm @ 67 GHz
Slide 25 of 108
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
a) shunt b) series
MIM capacitors Fabricated using BCB - MS on LR Si
Measured and Modelled of Shunt and Series Capacitors Show good agreement
SEM Image shunt
Equivalent Circuit Model
series
GaN on LR Si MMIC Passive Devices, Decoupling Techniques
Slide 26 of 108
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Electromagnetic Simulation
Substrate is not shielded
Substrate is shielded
Plot of gain and radiation efficiency for both single and elevated stack antenna
Measured and Simulated reflection coefficient of stacked rectangular patch
antenna
GaN on LR Si MMIC Passive Devices, Decoupling Techniques
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Summary
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
• Common Technology Platform based on GaN on Si for both Power and RF
Electronics o Collaborative Team (Cambridge, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester & Sheffield
Universities) • Materials, Devices & Circuits (Both Power and RF Electronics)
o Building on Established Expertise
• Envelop Tracking Power Amplifier o Provides a very challenging “Proof of Concept”
• High Bandwidth and Efficiency Requirements
• Both baseband and RF
• Strong Industrial/Agency collaboration o Selex, MACOM, Thomson, DMD, New Edge, Plessey, NXP, IQE, KNT, Oxford
Instruments, Rohde & Schwarz, DSTL, ESA
Integration of RF Circuits with High Speed GaN Switching on Silicon Substrates - £2.56M Project Running from July 2016 to June 2019
Slide 28 of 108
EPSRC Projects: Informed RF for 5G and Beyond
Dr Pei Xiao
University of Surrey
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Slide 29 of 108
• 5G requirements
• Vision and Approach
• Project Outline, Scope & Milestone
• Objectives
• Expected Impacts
Slide 30 of 108
5G Performance Requirements
Low Latency
Ultra Fast Data Transmission
High Energy Efficiency
Uniform User Experience
Massive Connectivity
Slide 31 of 108
5G usage scenarios
• Enhanced Mobile Broadband (e.g. for smart phones)
• Massive Machine Type Communications (e.g. for massive sensor nodes)
• Ultra-reliable and low latency communications (e.g. for connected cars, remote e-health)
Massive Machine Type Communications
Ultra-reliable and Low Latency Communications
3D video, UHD screens
Smart City
Industry automation
Gigabytes in a second
Mission critical application,
e.g. e-health
Self Driving Car
Augmented reality
Smart Home/Building
Work and play in the cloud
Voice
Future IMT
Augmented reality
Industry automation
Mission critical application e.g. eHealth
Self-driving car
Enhanced Mobile Broadband
Gigabytes in a second 3D video, UHD screens
Work and play in the cloud
Smart Home/Building
Voice
Smart city
Slide 32 of 108
Capacity Crunch Problem
• Channel capacity is the tightest upper bound on the rate of information that can be
reliably transmitted over a communications channel, it is determined by bandwidth W
and signal-to-noise ratio SNR.
• Capacity/Spectrum crunch problem: we need to find solutions to address the radio
spectrum scarcity problem – limited available bandwidth W.
Slide 33 of 108
Current RF and DSP Design
Antenna and RF
Design
DSP Design
• Previous work has been focused either on the radio frequency (RF) or digital
signal processing (DSP) aspect without major regard to the other.
o In the former case, the conventional RF design fails to exploit the full
potential that a co-designed system has to offer.
o In the latter case, DSP algorithms are devised under the orthogonality
assumption without considering the impairments caused by limitations and
imperfect nature of the physical hardware, antenna, radio propagation and
RF/microwave front-end electronics.
Slide 34 of 108
Vision
• Spectrum crunch problem can be largely mitigated by leveraging
the degrees of freedom (DoF) inherent in the wireless systems
which have not been fully exploited in the current systems.
• The disjoint RF and DSP design cannot fully exploit the DoFs.
• RF impairments, nonlinearities, interference can, in certain
circumstances, contain useful information, thus provide additional
DoFs that can be advantageously utilised.
• Maximum spectral efficiency is achievable only through the joint
RF-DSP design that permits access to those DoFs.
Slide 35 of 108
Joint DSP-RF Approach
• We propose RF-DSP co-design to
o Fully utilize the DoFs in conventional areas like space, time and
frequency;
o Explore new dimensions of DoFs in other domains, such as
antenna DoF in polarisation and beam-space, and additional DoF
in interference, nonlinearities, RF impairments.
o Maximize the spectral efficiency of the existing available spectrum;
o Fully utilize the new mm-wave spectrum.
Slide 36 of 108
Polarisation Modulation
• The polarisation of a radio
wave can also be utilised to
carry information bearing
signals
• The distinction between the
polarisation status of radio
waves can be made by the
rotation direction of an
elliptically (or circularly)
polarised electric field.
• Modulation order can be
increased by using elliptical
polarisation.
• Channel effect can be
compensated by DSP design
Slide 37 of 108
Beam-Space MIMO
• Independent data-
streams are mapped
onto an orthogonal set
of beam patterns in the
antenna far-field
• Single-RF chain (low
complexity, low power
consumption)
• Compact antenna
dimension
Slide 38 of 108
Beam-Space MIMO
• Electronically steerable parasitic
array radiators (ESPARs)
• Fourier Rotman Lens (FRLs)
Scalable solution for mmWave
communications
Parallel beam processing
low latency
Slide 39 of 108
• Increased directivity of transmission by beamforming techniques can
dramatically
Reduce interference
Save signal power
Increase coverage and capacity
• Beamforming techniques are important for 5G small cells and mm-
wave.
Beamforming
Slide 40 of 108
RF vs Digital Beamforming
• RF beamforming can achieve diversity gain, extend the transmission range, has lower complexity, power consumption and cost. However it cannot support multi-streaming, and suffers high loss at phase shifters.
• Digital beamforming can support multi-streaming, but incurs higher complexity, power consumption and cost.
Slide 41 of 108
Joint RF and Digital Beamforming
• Hybrid beamforming demonstrates a performance comparable to all-digital arrays, but at significantly lower cost and power consumption.
• We investigate massive MIMO solutions using large ESPAR and FRL arrays by means of hybrid RF and digital beamforming.
Slide 42 of 108
Master Diagram of the Project
Slide 43 of 108
Work Plan and Deliverables
Work Plan
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
WP Name of the WP/Milestones Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
WP1 Nonlinearity Assessment & Utilisation in Dirty RF Surrey
1.1 Behavioural modelling/assessment of nonlinearity components
1.2 Utilisation of I/Q imbalanced signals & nonlinear distortions
1.3 Utilisation of nonlinear distortions in multicarrier systems
1.4 Utilisation/mitigation of RF impairments in PM systems
1.5 Utilisation/mitigation of RF impairments in BS-MIMO systems
WP2 Polarisation Modulation/multiplexing Surrey
2.1 Non-coherent polarisation modulation antenna and DSP
2.2 Reconfigurable EPM antenna and DSP for 5G small cell
2.3 Combined polarisation and conventional modulation
WP3 Beamspace MIMO under Hardware Constraints QUB
3.1 Optimal BS-MIMO model with hybrid BF architecture
3.2 BS-MIMO assessment/correction under hardware constraints
3.3 Design and fabrication of hybrid FRL & ESPAR beamformers
3.4 Implementation of large-scale FRL & ESPAR architectures
WP4 Proof-of-Concept QUB/Surrey
4.1 Implementation of BS-MIMO transceiver for 5G radio access
4.2 Undertake empirical evaluation for the developed schemes
Deliverables:
WP1 M6: Modelling of nonlinearities; M18: RF impairments/nonlinearity utilisation algorithms for I/Q imbalanced systems and multicarrier
systems; M24: DSP algorithms for PM systems; M26: DSP algorithms for BS-MIMO systems.
WP2 M6: Non-coherent PM antenna and DSP design; M12: EPM antenna and DSP design; M21: Combined PM and conventional modulation
design.
WP3 M6: Hybrid BF architecture design; M12: Joint RF-DSP design for BS-MIMO; M18: Design and fabrication of hybrid BF; M24:
Implementation of large-scale FRL-ESPAR architectures.
WP4 M33: Prototype for BS-MIMO transceiver; M36: Final system evaluation.
Slide 44 of 108
Project Status
• Work allocations: UoS (WP1, WP2, WP4)
QUB (WP3, WP4)
• Starting date: June 1, 2016;
Ending date: May 31, 2019
• Industrial partners:
Slide 45 of 108
Objectives
• Provide solutions to meet 5G requirements
Ultra-fast data transmission
Low latency
High energy efficiency
Massive connectivity
• Contribute to three major 5G usage scenarios
Enhanced broadband experience
Massive MTC
Reliable and low-latency communications
Slide 46 of 108
Expected Impacts
• Brings together different disciplines (DSP, RF & Microwave
Communications, RF & Microwave Devices) to yield
disruptive technologies for future wireless networks.
• Provides solutions to tackle the spectrum crunch problem.
Slide 47 of 108
Thank you
Frequency Agile Radio
FARAD
Timothy O’Farrell1, Mark Beach2
1Department of
Electronic & Electrical
Engineering
University of Sheffield
2Electrical and
Electronic Engineering
Dept
University of Bristol
EMC, August 2016
Outline
Vision and Research Streams
Workpackage Flow
Workpackage Activities
The Research Team
Industrial Partners
FARAD© Universities of Sheffield and Bristol 201649
FARAD© Universities of Sheffield and Bristol 201650
Aim and Challenge
Aim This project aims to address the expected capacity crunch by
focusing on the RF bottleneck in 5G, beyond 5G and legacy
wireless networks through researching and developing miniature,
integrated, reconfigurable and tuneable, multiband radios to
enable ‘spectrum agile’ radio access and concurrent multiband
operation.
ChallengeThe realisation of a software radio (SR) system based on a single
chain radio architecture, providing concurrent multiband/
multimode transmission capabilities over 0.4 – 6 GHz spectrum.
Vision
Separable,
Tunable,
Multiband,
Integrated
Radio
Transceivers
to support
Multimode
and carrier
aggregation
From
450 MHz to
6 GHz
Re
qu
ire
me
nts
As
su
mp
tio
ns
Ev
alu
ati
on
Fra
me
wo
rk
Ha
rdw
are
in t
he
Lo
op
Te
st
Be
d
Antennas/ Filters
PA/ Linearization
LNA/ Cancellation
ADC/ PAPR
FARAD© Universities of Sheffield and Bristol 201651
Work-Package Flow
FARAD© Universities of Sheffield and Bristol 201652
53
WP1: Antenna Sub-system
Objectives: This research will focus on tuneable antennas to achieve frequency selectivity
and concurrent multiband operation within the frequency range from 690 MHz
to 6 GHz.
Project Progress: Accomplished tasks
1. Dual-band tuneable antenna for test-bed covering frequency range from
560MHz to 1.1 GHz [1].
2. Triple bands tuneable antenna covering frequency range from 600MHz to 3
GHz.
FARAD© Universities of Sheffield and Bristol 2015
Dual-band Antenna
54
WP1: Antenna Sub-system
Project Progress: Current tasks
Rebuild the triple bands tuneable
antenna with low loss substrate
materials and DTCs to improve the
antenna radiation performance.
Project Progress: Future tasks
1. Characterize the DTCs based on
triple bands tuneable antenna.
2. Increase the antenna tuning range to
cover up to 6 GHz.
3. Investigate fixed multi-band antenna
with tuneable filters.
FARAD© Universities of Sheffield and Bristol 2015
Tuning
higher band
Tuning
Lower band
WP2: Frequency Agile Transmitter
ObjectiveDesign of power amplifiers for frequency agile radios
using three main approaches:
Tunable PAs
Wideband PAs
Multi-band Pas
Accomplished Task:
Development of theoretical formulas to calculate and
plot the coverage of common tunable matching
networks on the Smith chart [2]
FARAD© Universities of Sheffield and Bristol 2016
C1 C2
L
(a) (b) (c)
55
WP2: Frequency Agile Transmitter
Current Activities:
Design of Multi-band Power Amplifier operating at 0.8, 1.8, and 2.4 GHz.
The design uses a matching network optimized by a genetic algorithm.
Current Status: Design Completed. Waiting for fabricated prototypes to
start the measurements
Future Tasks:
Characterize varactor diodes (measure and de-embed)
Start the design of tunable power amplifier
Frequency (GHz)
Eff
icie
ncy (
%)
Ou
tpu
t P
ow
er
(dB
m)
FARAD56
WP3 Receiver Front End
Previous Tasks:1. Evaluation of LNA architectures for Multiband Blocker Resilient Operation between 400MHz and 6GHz
2. Evaluation of Blocker Filtering Techniques applied before LNA
3. Setup Testbenches for High Frequency Evaluation of LNAs
Outcomes:
FARAD© Universities of Sheffield and Bristol 2016
1• Noise Cancelling Feed-Forward
Architecture was found to be best
suited for wideband operation [1]
2• Current best
implementations
use Frequency
Translation
Filtering [2]
• Q factor of
components is
translated to Low
Frequency
• Use of mixers
adds noise
• System Q still
limited by Low
Frequency Q of
filter components
3• Example results for UMC-L180-NMOS
L340nmW500u_33_RF with varying Vg
• Shows transistor Ft = 25GHz. Noise is nearly constant at HF.
[1] Bruccoleri, F., Klumperink, E. A. M., Nauta, B., & Member, S. (2004). Wide-Band CMOS Low-Noise Amplifier Exploiting Thermal Noise Cancelling, 39(2), 275–282.
[2] Hedayati, H., Aparin, V., & Entesari, K. (2014). A +22dBm IIP3 and 3.5dB NF wideband receiver with RF and baseband blocker filtering techniques. IEEE Symposium on VLSI Circuits, Digest
of Technical Papers, 1–2.
Gain Curves show transistor zero gain frequency varies
between 20GHz to 30GHz depending on biasing
1/f Noise
Noise stays nearly Constant
at Higher Frequencies
57
WP3 Receiver Front End
Current Activities:1. Evaluation of foundry PDKs for Cadence CMOS simulations
2. Advantages of using non 50Ohm Input Impedance
Future Tasks:• Evaluate possibility of using Active Filters before LNA for high Q narrow band filtering
• Complete Evaluation of IHP Foundry PDK and Plan for Tapeout
FARAD
1• Evaluation Completed:
AMS-S35D4(BiCMOS)
UMC-L180(180nm CMOS)
Results:
AMS process found to be
Unsuitable for 6GHz.
UMC RF transistors show
Ft=25GHz with acceptable noise
levels at high frequency operation
• Evaluation To Do:
IHP-SG25H3(250nm SiGe:C)
Outcomes:
2• Noise and Gain Circles for UMC-L180-NMOS L340nmW500u_33_RF transistor shows
wideband matching of noise and gain is possible by shifting input impedance above 50ohms
1dB NF Circles at:
400MHz
1GHz
6GHz
15dB Gain
Circles at:
400MHz
1GHz
3GHz
6GHz
Overlap region around
200ohm impedance
Gain Circle at
6GHz outside
overlap region.
Requires matching
circuit
58
Objective This workpackage focuses on the design of ADC Techniques and low PAPR
signal sets for concurrent multiband transmissions
Previous Activities:
Development of baseband modulator, demodulator and a digital down
converter (DDC) for a dual-band RF digitizing receiver test-bed through
LabVIEW and MATLAB [3]
WP4 A/D Conversion and PAPR Reduction
FARAD© Universities of Sheffield and Bristol 2016
Fig. Block diagram of a dual-channel
reconfigurable digital receiver.
59
Fig. EVMrms(%) of QPSK and 16-QAM based single carrier signals over carrier aggregated
DTT and LTE bands received through RF digitising concurrent dual-band receiver.
60
Current Activities:
Study in to multi-band band pass sampling (BPS) techniques for direct RF
digitisation
BPS evaluation for a triple-band receiver, operating from 0.4 – 3 GHz RF
spectrum, through hardware testing with off-the-shelf ADC and comparison
against Nyquist sampling approach
WP4 A/D Conversion and PAPR Reduction
FARAD© Universities of Sheffield and Bristol 2016
CA Scenario Total number of Combinations
Maximum AggregateBandwidth (MHz)
Minimum Sampling Frequency (MSPS)
(Lin’s Algorithm [4])
DTT – LTE(a) – Wi-Fi 288 61 213DTT – LTE(b) – Wi-Fi 384 101 337
DTT – LTE(a) – LTE(b) 1152 116 423LTE(a) – LTE(b) – Wi-Fi 768 130 414
Table: BPS analysis for CA scenarios for 0.4 – 6 GHz spectrum. LTE(a) corresponds to 0.7 – 0.96 GHz spectrum and
LTE(b) corresponds to 1.427 – 2.69 GHz spectrum. The 2.45 GHz Wi-Fi bands and TVWS (non-utilised DTT bands) in
Sheffield are considered.
Future Tasks:
BER/PER evaluation for dual and triple band test-beds
Design of a multi-band BPS ΣΔ ADC.
Study in to PAPR reduction techniques.
Academic Team
FARAD© Universities of Sheffield and Bristol 2016
University of Sheffield
PI & Lead: Timothy O’Farrell
CoI: Richard Langley
CoI: Lee Ford
Ravinder Singh (WP 4 & 5)
Simon Bai (WP 1)
University of Bristol
PI: Kevin Morris
PI: Mark Beach
CoI: Paul Warr
Chris Gamlath (WP 3)
Eyad Arabi (WP 2)
61
Industrial Partners
FARAD© Universities of Sheffield and Bristol 201662
Questions
Thank you
Contact Details:
Professor Timothy O’Farrell
University of Sheffield
Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering
Email: [email protected]
Professor Mark Beach
University of Bristol
Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department
Email: [email protected]
FARAD© Universities of Sheffield and Bristol 201663
References/Outputs
[1] Bai et. al, Tuneable Dual-band Antenna for Sub 1 GHz Cellular Mobile
Radio Applications, Submitted to “Loughborough Antennas and Propagation
Conference”, June, 2016.
[2] Arabi et. al, Analytical Formulas for the Coverage of Tunable Matching
Networks for Re-configurable Applications, Submitted to “IEEE Transactions on
Microwave Theory and Techniques”, March, 2016.
[3] Singh et. al, Demonstration of RF Digitising Concurrent Dual-Band
Receiver for Carrier Aggregation over TV White Spaces, Accepted for publication
at “IEEE VTC Fall”, May, 2016.
[4] Lin et. al, A New Iterative Algorithm for Finding the Minimum
Sampling Frequency of MultiBand Signals, “IEEE Transactions on Signal
Processing”, Vol. 58, No. 10, October 2010.
64
Slide 65 of 108
Low THz Technology and Applications
Mike Lancaster, Marina Gashinova and Peter Gardner
Department of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering, The University of Birmingham
[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Slide 66 of 108
TRAVEL: Terahertz Technology for Future Road Vehicles
Peter Gardner
Dept of EESE, The University of Birmingham
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Slide 67 of 108
TRAVEL: Progress to Date
• Propagation Measurements at 150 GHz and 300 GHz
• Novel broad band lens based antenna design for 300 GHz
• Experimental Radar designed for 670 GHz measurements
Slide 68 of 108
Aim and Objectives
Radome obstruction
Environmental contamination
Vehicle infrastructure
Atmospheric attenuation
Target
Reflectivities
Slide 69 of 108
Samples-Radome Obstruction
Road condition
Environment Vehicle infrastructure
1.1 Water 2.1 Non-painted plastic number plate with different thickness
1.2 Salty water 2.2 Coloured number plate with different paints
1.3 Road splash water 2.3 Head light
1.4 Ice 2.4 Car grilles
1.5 Snow 2.5 Bumper
1.6 Sand: dry and wet 2.6 Side mirrors
1.7 Grit 2.7 Windscreen
1.8 Dust
1.9 Soil: dry and wet
1.10 Dead insects
1.11 Leaves: dry and wet
1.12 Particulate contamination
1.13 Oil product
Slide 70 of 108
Pure Water Uniform Thickness
There is no dramatic difference in the transmissivity of
thin film water at automotive frequencies (24 and 77
GHz) and at low-THz frequencies (150 and 300 GHz)
Slide 71 of 108
Pure Water Droplets
Water droplets on the car
Averaging=20 Provided water droplets in our laboratory
Measurement Results
Slide 72 of 108
Fraunhofer Diffraction Theory
For U(n , m)=1 :
mn
mnN
n
M
m mn
mn
PR
jkR
r
jkrkajI
,
,
0 0 ,
,
2
2 expexp
4
2
mnr , = the distance between source point and each slit
mnR ,= the distance between observation point and each slit
Droplets U(n,m)= 0
Space U(n,m)= 1
Spaces: Max = 61.2 mm
Mean = 7.4 mm
Min = 0.19 mm
Droplet size: Max = 9.6 mm
Mean = 0.8 mm
Min = 0.06 mm
Slide 73 of 108
Simulation and Measurement of Transmissivity of Water Droplets
D=λ/2
Slide 74 of 108
Atmospheric Attenuation Measurements
15 m
Outdoor view
Cylinder
CR Sphere Cylinder
r = 180mm
σ = -10 dBsm
L = 100mm
σ = 21 dBsm
Indoor view
300 GHz
150 GHz
r = 200mm
h = 450 mm
σ = -70 dBsm
Slide 75 of 108
Effect of Water Droplets Formed on the Radome
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
mn
mnN
n
M
m mn
mn
PR
jkR
r
jkrkajI
,
,
0 0 ,
,
2
2 expexp
4
2
mnr ,= the distance between source point and each gap
mnR ,= the distance between observation point and each gap
Droplets U(n,m)= 0
Gaps U(n,m)= 1
Kirchhoff’s boundary condition:
a = size of gaps
Slide 76 of 108
Effect of Water Droplets Formed on the Radome
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
150 GHz 300 GHz
The captured photo from the droplets in this area
contain small droplet (about diameter of 0.06 mm)
which the used camera were not able to capture
them and results to the error about 4 dB.
Slide 77 of 108
Effect of Dry and Moist Sands on the Radome
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Dry Sand at 150 GHz
Dry Sand at 300 GHz
3mm sand thickness with different moisture at 150GHz
0.5mm sand thickness with different moisture at 300GHz
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
Sand Thickness (mm)
Tra
nsm
issi
vity
(dB
)
Attenuation due to sand(Dry)
Attenuation Model
Natural Sand
Fraction A
Fraction B
Fraction C
Fraction D
Fraction E
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0.4 0.45 0.5-4
-3.5
-3
-2.5
-2
-1.5
-1
-0.5
0
Sand Thickness (mm)
Tra
nsm
issi
vity
(dB
)
Attenuation due to sand(Dry)
Attenuation Model
Fraction D
Fraction E
0 2.5 5 7.5 10 12.5 15-30
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
0Attenuation versus moisture with 3mm sand thickness
Moisture (vol.%)
Tra
nsm
issi
vity
(dB
)
Attenuation Model
Natural Sand
Fractiob C
Fraction D
Fraction E
0 2.5 5 7.5 10 12.5 15-16
-14
-12
-10
-8
-6
-4
-2
0
Moisture (vol.%)
Tra
nsm
issi
vity
(dB
)
Attenuation versus moisture with 0.5mm sand thickness
Attenuation Model
Fraction D
Fraction E
Slide 78 of 108
300 GHz fan beam antenna
Slide 79 of 108
150 GHz, 300 GHz & 670 GHz horn antennas
Slide 80 of 108
Broadband Waveguide Feed
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Frequency,GHz
270 280 290 300 310
S1
1,d
B
-40
-30
-20
-10
0
Case A
Case B
Case C
Case D
Case E
D
L
εr
Extension layer
Hemisphere
Ground plane
Case A Case B Case C Case D Case E
No pocket z=0.1mm
x=wgx
y=wgy
z=0.3mm
x=wgx
y=wgy
z=0.2mm
x=wgx+0.2mm
y=wgy+0.2mm
z=0.2mm
x=wgx
y=wgy
x y
z
Slide 81 of 108
Tapered Extension Design
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Alignment pins
Precision screws
θ
Frequency,GHz
270 280 290 300 310
Dir
ectivi
ty,d
Bi
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
o
Theta,degrees-50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50
No
rma
lize
d a
mplit
ude
,dB
-40
-30
-20
-10
0
Theta,degrees-50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50
No
rma
lize
d a
mplit
ude
,dB
-30
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
f=290GHz:
E-plane H-plane
E-field plots
Slide 82 of 108
Lens prototype: Fabrication & Measurements
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Frequency,GHz
282 284 286 288 290 292 294 296 298
Ga
in,d
B
22
24
26
28
30
32
34
Simulation tand=0.001
Simulation tand=0.008
Measurement Realized gain
Measurement Accepted gain
Frequency,GHz
220 240 260 280 300 320
S1
1,d
B
-35
-30
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
Measurement
Simulation
Theta,degrees-20 -15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15 20
No
rma
lize
d A
mplit
ude
,dB
-40
-30
-20
-10
0
Theta,Degrees-20 -15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15 20
No
rma
lize
d A
mplit
ude
,dB
-40
-30
-20
-10
0
f=290GHz
H-plane
E-plane
Slide 83 of 108
300 GHz, S21 field
measurement
of snow in Scottish
Highlands using portable
VNA and Rubidium
reference.
Slide 84 of 108
Further Work
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
• Systematic attenuation and scattering measurements at 150 GHz, 300 GHz and 670 GHz
• Fan beam antenna and beamformer designs
• Proof of concept demonstrator
• Project runs until June 2018
Slide 85 of 108
Micromachined Circuits for THz Comms
Mike Lancaster
Dept of EESE, The University of Birmingham
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Slide 86 of 108
Micromachined Circuits For Terahertz Communications
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
EPSRC project EP/M016269/1
BAE Systems, Elite Antennas Ltd, Farran Technology Ltd, Plextek, Queen's University of Belfast, Teratech Components Ltd
With Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and Fraunhofer Institute
Slide 87 of 108
Micromachined 300 GHz Receiver
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
X3
XIF
47.5GHz
300GHz15GHz
142.5GHz
Configuration of whole system (based on 5 layers and each layer has the same thickness of 432µm)
47.5GHz LO WR-19 waveguide (4.775×2.388mm) Fed from base
15 GHz IF Fed from base
300GHz antenna
Slide 88 of 108
Resonator based design
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
x N
LO source
Multiplier Buffer
Multiplier
LO Spur BPF
Driver TX BPF
IF
TX PA
Waveguide Resonator
Two stage amplifier Mixer
Antenna
Multip
lier
No conventional on chip matching
Slide 89 of 108
Layers 1 and 2 hidden
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Quartz substrate
E-field
MMIC amplifier
Frequency tripler (47.5 to 142.5GHz)
432um
WR-5 waveguide 140-220GHz 1.296×0.648mm
WR-3 waveguide 220-325GHz 0.864×0.432mm
300GHz antenna mixer
15 GHz IF
Slide 90 of 108
Micromachined Waveguides at 300 GHz
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Waveguide
Filter
•WR3 waveguide size 864 m by 432 m
•Made of multiple layers
Half of a 300 GHz filter
E
Slide 91 of 108
Antenna
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Various antenna developed (wideband high gain): • Dielectric lens • All resonator based waveguide slot antenna • Waveguide based conventional slot antenna • Metamaterial based planar antenna
Aperture antenna
based on all-resonator
stuctures
Feeding network based
on all-resonator
structures
Ē
Input Port
Radiating slots
Irises
H-plane bend and
matching ridge
Input port
1
d0
d
d0
a
a
b
b
l1
l2
Radiating waveguide
Feeding waveguide
x
y
z
xz-plane (H-plane)
yz-plane (E-plane)
d1
d2Layers
2
3
4
5
sw
sl
d01d02
Slide 92 of 108
Tripler
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research 92
• Tripler is based on all resonator structures.
• Diodes are coupled into the resonators
• The design removes any filtering and matching from
the microstrip (lossey) to waveguide
• 30 to 90 GHz demonstrated
Slide 93 of 108
Amplifier using coupled resonator filter based matching
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Resonator 1 Resonator 2 Resonator 3
Screw
holePin hole
Iris
Input
Output
SMA Iris Iris
• Model of single waveguide input coaxial output completed at X-Band
• All resonator construction • Moving matching from PCB into
waveguide
Circuit Simulation Coupling Matrix
Measurements
Coupling Matrix
Circuit SimulationMeasurements
S21
S11
1 2 3 L S
Slide 94 of 108
Last words
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
• Three methods of fabrication:
• SU8 develop in EESE
• Collaboration with Mechanical Engineering on Laser machining
• CNC at RAL
• Good collaboration with RAL and Fraunhofer
• Good support from Terahertz advisory committee
Slide 95 of 108
PATHCAD: Pervasive low-TeraHz and Video Sensing for
Car Autonomy and Driver Assistance
Marina Gashinova
Dept of EESE, The University of Birmingham
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
Slide 96 of 108
TASCC: Towards Autonomy - Smart
and Connected Control
A strategic partnership EPSRC Engineering and Information and Communication
Technologies (ICT) Themes in partnership with Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) initiated a
research in the area of 'Smart and Connected Control' around the central challenge of
moving towards a fully autonomous car.
PathCad project scope: Provision of all weather
sensing for driver assistance and ultimately
autonomous vehicle operation, through the
fusion of 3D low THz radar and video imagery.
Research challenges in Sensing:
• Robust sensor data fusion & which sensors to believe when they are giving conflicting information?
• All-weather and lighting and all-terrain capability
• Longer/wider range sensors & integration to V2X
• Optimisation – reduced number of sensors & required data stream
Slide 97 of 108
Technology areas:
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research
• ‘Cross Learning’ to increase robustness of the
proposed system in all weather all terrains
• Novel THz sensors to deliver high resolution imaging.
• ‘Non-coherent interferometry’ to enable 3D
images that can highlight objects and act as an input to
the guidance and control system
• Advanced video analytics and sensors fusion with enhanced detection and classification of road users
Demonstrator
• Advanced signal processing - Azimuth refinement and
compressed sensing for ‘superresolution’
Slide 98 of 108
Why THz region?
• The frequency is high enough to produce a very fine resolution image and
• Low enough for the EM waves not to be dispersed due to precipitation, fog, dirt or any form of obstruction to the sensor
• Main drive to use these frequencies is small aperture sizes for a given angular resolution • High frequencies would bring the advantage of wide available bandwidths which results in fine range
resolution • Fine resolution achievable with moderate aperture sizes makes high resolution imaging feasible • Due to small wavelengths relative to the objects being imaged there will be more diffused scattering and
therefore imaging will be close to optical one. It could lead to high texture sensitivity
Frequencies between two absorption peaks • Due to attenuation of low-THz waves the sensing is feasible at
short-to-medium range depending on the operational medium
Slide 99 of 108
99
(degree)
(a) the image in Cartesian coordinatesR
ange (
m)
-10 -5 0 5 10
20
40
60
80
100
120
-40
-30
-20
-10
(degree)
(b) the image in polar coordinates
Range (
m)
-10 -5 0 5 10
20
40
60
80
100
120
-40
-30
-20
-10
(degree)
(c) the thresholding image in polar coordinates
Range (
m)
-10 -5 0 5 10
20
40
60
80
100
120
-30
-25
-20
-15
-10
(degree)
(d) the equalized image in polar coordinates
Range (
m)
-10 -5 0 5 10
20
40
60
80
100
120
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
(degree)
(a) the image in Cartesian coordinates
Range (
m)
-10 -5 0 5 10
20
40
60
80
100
120
-40
-30
-20
-10
(degree)
(b) the image in polar coordinates
Range (
m)
-10 -5 0 5 10
20
40
60
80
100
120
-40
-30
-20
-10
(degree)
(c) the thresholding image in polar coordinates
Range (
m)
-10 -5 0 5 10
20
40
60
80
100
120
-30
-25
-20
-15
-10
(degree)
(d) the equalized image in polar coordinates
Range (
m)
-10 -5 0 5 10
20
40
60
80
100
120
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
• Current automotive sensors are parametric sensors
• Current automotive radar demonstrate No imaging capabilities
while • Optical cameras are easily obstructed by any
form of dirt/mud/fog/spray, snow
The primary drive for using THz frequencies is aperture size and packing weight while maintaining fine range and angular resolution for high resolution imagery, compatible with optical imagery, in all weather/terrains
What to expect? Advancement to driving aid technologies
• Optical cameras are unable to provide a usable image in non-optically transparent media
94 GHz image map – previous research
Slide 100 of 108
Where we start. Critical mass of research/resources already done to support the proposal
150 GHz FMCW radar 300 GHz Up/Down Converter and antennas
15 °
2.2 °
x
y
z
Footprint
∞Axis of antenna beam
0 m min range
Elevation above ground
Microwave lens –horn antennas
-6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6
Ra
dia
l D
ista
nce [m
]
19.0
18.0
17.0
16.0
15.0
14.0
13.0
12.0
11.0
10.0
9.0
8.0
7.0
6.0
5.0
4.0
Filter Using Maxima nlfilter (Pre- thresholding on log data)
Azimuth distance [m]
Norm
alis
ed R
eceiv
ed P
ow
er
[dB
]
-22
-20
-18
-16
-14
-12
-10
-8
-6
-4
-2
0
150 GHz image of road markings
Previous EPSRC funding and direct industrial funding (JLR) on THz sensing and imaging
Slide 101 of 108
Where we are now – 6 months after the project start
Scene actor identification from video, IR and LiDAR data
Gap analysis of existing sensor suit and preliminary data collection
Roof railway for experimentation under controlled motion
Synchronization of Radar Video/Stereo camera/ LIDAR Radar angular resolution refinement
Slide 102 of 108
150 GHz Radar Experimental Equipment
• Antennas
– 2° x 15° lens horn
• Data Acquisition
– FFT (magnitude) outputs for up and down sweep (Ethernet/UDP)
– I/Q (and Strobe) recording through PicoScope
Parameter Value
Centre Frequency 148 GHz
Bandwidth 6 GHz
Range Resolution 2.5 cm
Power 15 mW (12 dBm)
Modulation FM Linear Up/Down Chirp
Sweep time 1, 2, 5, 10 ms
Picoscope 5000 Series USB Oscilloscope
Slide 103 of 108
-6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6 8
15.0
14.0
13.0
Radi
al D
ista
nce
[m]12.0
11.0
10.0
9.0
8.0
7.0
6.0
5.0
4.0
No Filter (Pre-thresholding on log data)
Azimuth distance [m]
Norm
alis
ed R
eceiv
ed P
ow
er
[dB
]
-30
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
150 GHz Image 30 GHz Image
-5 0 5
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
Azimuth Distance (m)
Range (
m)
No Filter (Pre-thresholding on log data)
Norm
alis
ed R
eceiv
ed P
ow
er
[dB
]
-30
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
footpath
0 m
Sensitivity to roughness/texture
Slide 104 of 108
Radar video – Laboratory ‘Road’ Scene Data Collection
• First radar video created in laboratory conditions with road scene actors
– Radar is translated linearly alongside typical ‘critical area’ scene and also scanned in azimuth
– Video now produced in equivalent time of previous single scans
Laboratory Based ‘Road’ Scene
2 m Linear Positioner Rail Radar Linear Translation
Scan
Radar
Speed Bump
Cycle Pedestrian
Trolley
Road Signage
Kerb Stones
Metal Sphere
Slide 105 of 108
Laboratory Radar Video
Velodyne (32 beam)
ZED stereo camera Kinect Attached to the top of radar
Slide 106 of 108
Multi-sensor Acquisition
• Measurement of calibration/registration targets
• Corner reflectors of differing sizes
• Measured in two positions on short linear rail
Velodyne
Kinect
Radar
Slide 107 of 108
Conclusions and Plans
• Addressing shortcomings of currently available sensor systems to respond to the
future trends as well as the fundamental problem of efficient resource and
information utilization.
• Impact of the resulting system can encompass many applications where imaging will be crucial, including the development of effective instruments for aerial vehicle automatic landing aids, missile guidance, covert detection of hidden weapons on humans, in robotic imaging and navigation, and even soil assessment and crop quantification by agricultural robotic vehicles.
• We welcome discussion with international research communities working in a
number of fields related to the project. These fields include radar, signal
processing, vision systems, machine learning.
• Academic and industrial communities from both the defence and civilian sectors
can follow our progress through the web-site
• Towards the end of year 4 we plan a workshop in Birmingham that will address Sensing for Autonomous Vehicles. By this stage we will have video footage from trials that will demonstrate in a clear way the potential capability of our sensing system to both specialists and non-specialists. A number of companies, with interests in all-weather sensing, from both the civilian and defence sectors will be encouraged to attend.
Slide 108 of 108
Open Discussion and Concluding Remarks
Peter Gardner
University of Birmingham
WF12 EPSRC Projects in Microwave, mm-wave and THz Research