JR Centre for Integrated CMOS RF Systems and Circuit Design

Mobile wireless communication places high demands on the corresponding devices: a modern mobile phone, for example, receives signals for voice communication as well as various data, for example GPS, Wireless HD, UMTS, etc.. The hardware required for this is the research topic of this JR Centre.

Research is focussing on the physical interface at which the various electromagnetic waves surrounding us are converted into electrical signals such as currents and voltages and subsequently into data. These are microchips based on semiconductors, known in research as integrated high-frequency or RF circuits.

There are currently different receivers for the different standards (e.g. GPS or UMTS), which are arranged in parallel blocks. This leads to interactions and interference: The different signals influence each other. Researching and minimising such coexistence problems is a core focus of this JR Centre.

As part of these requirements, configurable, integrated high-frequency circuits are to be researched, which can be reprogrammed depending on the type of signal to be received. This will reduce the number of circuits required and minimise potential interference.

The realisation of prototypes of such integrated circuits is a central research topic. Another research topic is the modelling and simulation of integrated high-frequency systems, based on various software tools and in combination with digital signal processing. This enables a comprehensive understanding of the interaction of electromagnetic waves with the integrated circuit to be gained in order to subsequently optimise the properties of the integrated high-frequency circuits.

The most obvious applications for such integrated circuits are mobile phones and data modems, but the research is also relevant to many other areas, such as smart homes, goods tracking/warehousing and the automotive sector.