Ultrabroadband Integration Techniques for the Advancement of Complex Integrated System Design

This seminar is co-sponsored by the WIMS ERC and RADLAB.
Mobile applications are an important growth area that is emerged in the Information Age. This happened in part from advances in computing and radio frequency (RF) communications associated with the Internet and wireless technology. The result is a trend to replace single function devices like computers and telephones with multi-function devices like smart phones with both capabilities. Moreover, the rapid changes have created a need to develop a variety of mobile base station technologies to support and expand fixed based station capability. This is needed to accommodate the large number of users, high mobility of users, and diversity of protocols that have emerged from mobile applications like personal communications, health care monitoring, and environmental monitoring.
From a technical perspective, the growth in multi-function systems has increased the need to design effective complex systems. These complex systems may contain a variety of smaller sub-systems like the radio, computer, and sensors. For a single function device like a wireless radio design, it is now critical to (1) reduce its sensitivity to extraneous electromagnetic waves; (2) use material characteristics to reduce circuit size and weight, and (3) minimize RF interference to neighboring circuits and sub-systems within a complex environment. As a result, significant interest has surfaced for solutions that can shield unwanted signals, offer reduced size with improved performance, and enhance isolation within and between circuits and chips in high density environments. Moreover, careful design is needed to ensure that all high speed signals traveling within and throughout these complex system environments maintain high signal integrity behavior.
This presentation will describe the research efforts of the Microwave Packaging and Circuit Technology group (MPACT) to enhance the integration of high-speed passive components and interconnect designs commonly found in RF design. This talk will present our core integration design concept along with different design approaches taken to create efficient high-speed interconnects, compact and low loss passive components – filters and antennas, as well as novel ultra-wide band transitions for multi-level three dimensional chip integration at the wafer level.
Rhonda R. Franklin is an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She has co-authored over 65 refereed conferences and journals papers on design of high frequency planar/3D circuits and antennas using advanced fabrication methods like MEMs technology. Her group has also developed high speed integration and packaging methods for high speed electronic and/or optoelectronic circuits in communications. She is the recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER award (1998) and Presidential Early Career award for Scientists and Engineers (1999). She has also been an invited to participate in a number of National Academy of Engineering – Frontiers of Engineering program for young promising technical leaders in the US (1999) and Germany (2003, 2006).