This project, acquiring a wireless nanonetworks integration and emulation system, aims at establishing an ultra wideband Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits (RFIC) design flow for the development and testing of RF nodes. To bridge the gap between computation requirements of ubiquitous applications and communication efficiency faced by gigascale MultiProcessor Systems on Chips (MPSoC), a new on-chip communication system, Wireless Network-on-Chip (WNoC) is proposed using CMOS Ultra WideBand (UWB) intrachip wireless technology. The system will support research on developing and prototyping self-configurable, on-chip wireless interconnects for the next generation high-performance and low-power MPSoC. An integrated UWB RFIC design flow will be set for the development of RF nodes, laying the basis for WNoC. The corresponding RF node test and measurement environment will be linked to the implementation process for performance characterization and evaluation. The overall WNoC will be demonstrated on a Xilinx FPGS emulation system that enables accurate evaluation of performance, power and area cost, and various design tradeoffs. The application-specific WNoC prototypes will be developed to address the challenges associated with this new design paradigm and assess the potential of the WNoC technology. Some breakthroughs could be forthcoming in the area of intra-chip interconnect network for high performance computing in the upcoming nanoscale MPSoC paradigm, hopefully demonstrating the feasibility and applicability of RF/wireless interconnects, and providing cost effective extendable solutions to interconnect and IC designs.

Broader Impacts: This work contributes to enhance curriculum development of ubiquitous computing, providing effective training. The lab already offers hands-on opportunities for students. Partnering with McNair Scholars and Stokes Alliance (LS-LAMP), teachers and students will be recruited. Augmenting lab capabilities should contribute in solidifying research via analysis, simulation, and testbed experiments, enabling collaboration and interaction that might activate partnerships with industry, government labs, and other users.

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Computer and Network Systems (CNS)
Type
Standard Grant (Standard)
Application #
0821702
Program Officer
Rita V. Rodriguez
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2008-08-01
Budget End
2013-07-31
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2008
Total Cost
$500,000
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Lafayette
State
LA
Country
United States
Zip Code
70503