New Directions In Millimeter-Wave Imaging: Systems, Circuits and Algorithms

PASSCODE: 424022

Imaging systems are ubiquitous in our world, from our complex mammalian eyes to infrared sensors in snakes, from selfie cameras on our smartphones to the VLBI telescope system that took an image of a black hole, from MRIs and X-rays to microscopes and telescopes, they allow us to explore the universe and reveal the invisible. The most fascinating systems among these are the ones that allow us to see beyond the limits of the naked eye. An imaging radar is one such technology – familiar to travelers who have stood in an airport scanner with their arms raised. Unlike other imaging methods, radar can penetrate materials, operate at long ranges, and does not use hazardous ionizing radiation, making it ideal for applications such as concealed weapons detection, autonomous navigation, wildfire search-and-rescue, and space exploration.

Despite their potential, existing imaging radar systems experience a cost-speed trade-off that has limited their development and widespread adoption. In this talk, I introduce affine synthetic arrays, a technique that enables a single radar element to generate 10,000 virtual elements in real-time, breaking the cost-speed trade-off. I then introduce fast time-domain reconstruction and deconvolution algorithms for Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar arrays. Finally, I present a 256 GHz radar system designed on a 65-nm CMOS process that achieves diffraction-limited imaging. Putting the antennas, electronics and signal processing together, I demonstrate a path toward scalable, cost-effective real-time imaging radar systems.

CO-CHAIRS: Ehsan Afshari and Kamal Sarabandi