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TESI DISPONIBILE PRESSO MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Precision vector-corrected noise measurements at mm-wave frequencies
Unibo contact: gianpiero.gibiino@unibo.it
This is primary a Master's thesis but you can connect to Prof. Gian Piero Gibiino and me to figure out an alternative Bachelor's thesis on the same argoument.
Overview
Next-generation communications systems require high dynamic range and sensitivity to meet the users’ demands within today’s crowded spectral environments. A central component within these “beyond-5G” systems is the receiver technology, which must deliver excellent performance in terms of low noise and high gain. Specifically, low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) and their associated semiconductor technologies are key in meeting the demands of millimeter-wave communications systems.
Thesis Project
A critical aspect for low-noise transistor and LNA technology is rigorous noise figure (NF) and noise parameter (NP) measurements. It is paramount that the measurement system produces precise measurements to ensure accurate and physical circuit models for circuit design. Furthermore, measurement uncertainties of the NF and NP systems must be understood, particularly for measuring transistors with extremely low minimum NFs. Research on the NF/NP measurement systems and their associated data processing algorithms will enable a thorough understanding of the resulting data and will enable a path towards first-pass design success of future LNA technologies.
This master’s thesis will first focus on demonstrating precision vector-corrected NF measurements. This thesis will include a study abroad at Michigan State University (MSU) in the United States (U.S.) and will utilize state-of-the-art (SOTA) 50 GHz NF measurement capabilities within MSU’s RF measurement laboratory. After successful demonstration of precise vectorcorrected NF measurements, a thorough analysis and determination of the measurement uncertainties will be performed. Finally, upon successful completion of the first two topics, the thesis will demonstrate a quantitative comparison between advanced NF measurements and ultra-fast NP measurement capabilities using commercial impedance tuners and RF switches (similar to the system illustrated in Fig. 1 and with example results in Fig. 2). The culmination of the master’s thesis will be a direct comparison of the two SOTA 50 GHz measurement capabilities at MSU. This thesis activity is planned to be further developed in a doctoral (Ph.D.) program.
Published on: May 07 2024
