ECS-0547161 Jiming Song, Iowa State University
With the operating frequency approaching tens of gigahertz, radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) designers have already initiated the transition from circuit-based to field-based design methodology. However, the existing electromagnetic modeling techniques are not amenable for circuit design due to model limitations. The PI proposes to develop next generation accurate and efficient electromagnetic modeling techniques applicable to the design and analysis of mixed-signal RFICs. The research will be closely integrated with educational and outreach activities, including the up-to-date curriculum development of electromagnetic courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, the unusual offering to undergraduates of early research experience, and the creation of a virtual electromagnetic experimental laboratory. Intellectual merit of the proposed activity: The proposed research will provide viable, accurate, and efficient solutions for many key electromagnetic modeling issues in mixed-signal RFICs. It will also enrich the modeling methodology with new de-embedding and model order reduction techniques. The education plan will introduce electromagnetic state-of-the-art modeling techniques and help to build a stronger electromagnetic education program by creating a virtual electromagnetic experimental laboratory. Broader impacts resulting from the proposed activity: The outcomes will help to attract, recruit, and retain engineering students and broaden the participation of minorities and women in engineering programs. The research findings will have a significant impact on designing new RFICs. The findings will also lead to advances in developing efficient algorithms in areas such as landmine and underground facility detection and electromagnetic nondestructive evaluation.
. The PI has developed accurate and efficient electromagnetic modeling techniques applicable to the design and analysis of mixed-signal RFICs. The research was closely integrated with educational and outreach activities, including the up-to-date curriculum development of electromagnetic courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and the unusual offering of early research experience to undergraduates. The PI and his students have found: - The thin metallization layer enhances the slow-wave effect to some extent. All these effects are of importance in the performance analysis of the IC interconnects and packaging. - Equivalence principle and connection scheme (EPACS), was developed to analyze wave interactions with multilayered periodic arrays. The approach does not need a Green’s function for periodic structures in a layered medium, which involves both infinite integrals and infinite summations. - Several efficient algorithms were developed to accelerate the summation of infinite series in analyzing interconnects and RF components in shielded structures. The CPU time has been reduced by several orders compared to the direct summation. In addition to these accurate and efficient algorithms, this project has made several broader contributions to science and society: - The findings on slow wave modes over thin metallization layers affect the design of interconnects and RF circuits over silicon and thin metals; The study on periodic structures in RF and microwave range can shed light in areas such as the design of metamaterials in optical range; The study on accelerating the summation of series can help researchers in many areas involving summation of series. - Nine graduate students and 15 undergraduate students have been trained on electromagnetic modeling under financial support from this project and others. Four students graduated with PhD degrees and 3 with MS degrees. One of the graduate students was awarded with the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society Doctoral Award, and two won the Research Excellence Award at Iowa State University. Several of them were on final lists of student paper competitions in several professional conferences. - There were three female students in the fifteen undergraduate students associated this project. Two of them were from other states. Two senior undergraduates were recruited to work on this project under the REU program. - The PI has actively involved the Freshman Mentors Program at Iowa State University and supervised undergraduate students from the Freshman Honors Program. - Research results from this project have been closely integrated into the electromagnetic courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels at Iowa State University. - Twelve journal papers and one book chapter have been published in top journals. More than twenty conference papers have been published and presented, in addition to twenty invited talks at conferences and research institutions.
