Fully Integrated Parametric Filters for Extensive Phase-Noise Reduction in Low-Power RF Front-Ends and Resonant Sensing Platforms

全集成参数滤波器可在低功耗射频前端和谐振传感平台中广泛降低相位噪声

• 批准号: 1854573
• 负责人: Cristian Cassella
• 金额: $ 43.69万
• 依托单位: Northeastern University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-09-01 至 2023-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1854573&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Fully; Integrated; Parametric; Filters; Extensive

Numerous handheld medical devices and other consumer products rely on homodyne or super-heterodyne receivers for wireless connectivity. The maximum data rate achievable by such wireless nodes depends heavily on the frequency stability of the internal oscillators that generate the reference signals for the frequency conversion stages. Furthermore, significant research efforts have been directed towards the development of integrated closed-loop resonant sensing platforms, which rely on reliable oscillators to track the resonance frequency shifts induced in low-power micro and nano mechanical structures upon exposure to targeted physical or chemical signals. While such miniaturized resonant sensors have the potential to achieve unprecedented sensitivities, their detection capability is strongly limited by the stability of the oscillator employed as frequency readout. This research program aims to develop new techniques to achieve an unprecedented level of frequency stability in low-power and high-frequency integrated oscillators, addressing one of the most critical challenges that is currently limiting the performance of RF receivers and resonant sensing platforms. In particular, the proposed research entails the development of a new class of integrated solid-state low-power stabilization circuits, referred to as parametric filters. These integrated circuits exploit the complex nonlinear dynamics of parametric systems to implement the unique functionality of a filter for the phase noise reduction. By increasing the stability of frequency sources, the proposed parametric filter will allow to reduce the power consumption of battery-operated wireless sensor nodes deployed for Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications. In addition, the drastic phase noise reduction in the frequency readout of resonant sensing platforms will allow to surpass the resolution limits of state-of-the-art resonant sensors, leading to unprecedented detection capabilities. A parametric filter consists of a non-autonomous feedback network that includes a passive parametric frequency divider. When a parametric filter is designed to operate in proximity to a point of marginal stability for the parametric frequency divider, it exhibits an increase in relaxation time that renders it immune to the rapid phase fluctuations of its driving signal. As a result, the output signal of parametric filters exhibit orders of magnitude lower phase noise than their input signals. An aim of this project is to develop novel integrated parametric filters that can be connected at the output of gigahertz frequency generators. To demonstrate this concept, a 2.4 GHz frequency generator and the auxiliary circuits will be designed with an overall power consumption less than 0.6 mW. Phase noise improvements exceeding 30 dB at 1 MHz offset from the 2.4 GHz carrier are expected through the use of the new parametric filter architecture. Furthermore, a fundamental goal of this research is to develop a systematic design and simulation approach that allows to manipulate the stability of integrated passive parametric circuits. In particular, the efforts to develop parametric filters for low-power phase-noise reduction will provide means to understand the behavior of parametrically driven circuit components and their capability to manipulate the dynamics of non-autonomous feedback networks. In addition, the project will use commercial circuit simulators to capture such complex dynamics, which will greatly benefit circuit designers in the research community and industry.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

许多手持式医疗设备和其他消费产品都依赖于同性恋或超杂质的接收器来实现无线连接。此类无线节点可实现的最大数据速率在很大程度上取决于内部振荡器的频率稳定性，该振荡器为频率转换阶段生成参考信号。此外，大量的研究工作是针对综合闭环谐振平台的开发，该平台依靠可靠的振荡器来跟踪在暴露于靶向物理或化学信号的低功率微功能和纳米机械结构中引起的谐振频率转移。尽管这种微型谐振传感器具有实现前所未有的敏感性的潜力，但其检测能力受到用作频率读数的振荡器的稳定性的强烈限制。该研究计划旨在开发新技术，以在低功率和高频集成振荡器中实现前所未有的频率稳定性水平，这是解决当前限制RF接收器和共鸣感应平台的性能的最关键挑战之一。尤其是，拟议的研究需要开发一类新的综合固态低功率稳定电路（称为参数过滤器）。这些集成的电路利用参数系统的复杂非线性动力学来实现过滤器的唯一功能，以减少相位噪声。通过提高频率源的稳定性，所提出的参数过滤器将允许减少部署为Things Internet应用程序（IOT）应用程序的电池操的无线传感器节点的功耗。此外，谐振传感平台的频率读数的急剧降低将允许超越最新共振传感器的分辨率限制，从而导致前所未有的检测功能。参数滤波器由一个非自主反馈网络组成，该网络包括一个被动参数频率分隔线。当设计一个参数滤波器以接近参数频率分隔线的边际稳定性的距离时，它表现出增加的松弛时间，使其不受其驱动信号的快速相波的影响。结果，参数过滤器的输出信号比其输入信号低的数量级噪声订单。该项目的目的是开发新型的集成参数过滤器，这些过滤器可以连接到Gigahertz频率发生器的输出。为了证明这一概念，将设计一个2.4 GHz频率发生器和辅助电路，其总体功耗小于0.6 MW。通过使用新的参数滤波器体系结构，预计在1 MHz偏移率为1 MHz时的相位噪声改进超过了2.4 GHz载波。此外，这项研究的基本目标是开发一种系统的设计和仿真方法，该方法允许操纵综合被动参数电路的稳定性。特别是，开发低功率相位噪声的参数过滤器的努力将提供理解参数驱动的电路组件的行为及其操纵非自治反馈网络动力学的能力。此外，该项目将使用商业电路模拟器来捕获这种复杂的动态，这将极大地使研究社区和行业中的电路设计师受益。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是值得通过基金会的知识分子和更广泛影响的评估审查标准来通过评估来获得支持的。

项目成果

Giant Sensitivity through Fully-Passive and Chip-Less Parametric Temperature Sensors

• DOI: 10.1109/sensors47125.2020.9278907
• 发表时间: 2020-10
• 期刊: 2020 IEEE Sensors
• 作者: Hussein M. E. Hussein-Hussein-M.-E.-Hussein-144402973;C. Cassella

Capturing and recording cold chain temperature violations through parametric alarm-sensor tags

通过参数报警传感器标签捕获和记录冷链温度违规行为

• DOI: 10.1063/5.0054022
• 发表时间: 2021
• 期刊: Applied Physics Letters
• 影响因子: 4
• 作者: Hussein, Hussein M.;Rinaldi, Matteo;Onabajo, Marvin;Cassella, Cristian
• 通讯作者: Cassella, Cristian

Systematic Synthesis and Design of Ultralow Threshold 2:1 Parametric Frequency Dividers

超低阈值2:1参数分频器的系统综合与设计

• DOI: 10.1109/tmtt.2020.2999790
• 发表时间: 2020
• 期刊: IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques
• 影响因子: 4.3
• 作者: Hussein, Hussein M.;Ibrahim, Mahmoud A.;Michetti, Giuseppe;Rinaldi, Matteo;Onabajo, Marvin;Cassella, Cristian
• 通讯作者: Cassella, Cristian

Reflective Parametric Frequency-Selective Limiters With Sub-dB Loss and μWatts Power Thresholds

具有亚 dB 损耗和 μW 功率阈值的反射式参数频率选择限制器

• DOI: 10.1109/tmtt.2021.3072587
• 发表时间: 2021
• 期刊: IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques
• 影响因子: 4.3
• 作者: Hussein, Hussein M.;Ibrahim, Mahmoud A.;Rinaldi, Matteo;Onabajo, Marvin;Cassella, Cristian
• 通讯作者: Cassella, Cristian

Design and Analysis of an On-Chip Current-Driven CMOS Parametric Frequency Divider

• DOI: 10.1109/tcsi.2023.3249051
• 发表时间: 2023-05
• 期刊: IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Regular Papers
• 作者: Mengting Yan;Hussein M. E. Hussein-Hussein-M.-E.-Hussein-144402973;C. Cassella;M. Rinaldi;M. Onabajo