Green RF Transmitter Techniques for Future Wireless Communication (including an introduction to Delft University of Technology)

Speaker: Dr. Leo de Vreede (TU Delft)

Time and Date: 13:30-14:30, Apr. 19, 2013

Place: Room 369, Microelectronics Building, Zhangjiang Campus

Abstract

Wireless communication is growing exponentially and is moving towards fourth generation (4G) mobile services, which use wider signal bandwidths and MIMO techniques to handle more users at higher data rates. With wireless infrastructure revenue to be estimated at 43 billion USD (2012) annually, these changing requirements have big impact on industry and university research activities around the world. Within the Delft University of technology one of the focus points is the development of more efficient and linear basestation transmitters, since they are currently responsible for 60% of total energy consumption of the wireless network. As such, improving their energy efficiency by only 10% yields already to more than $250M savings annually on the operational expenses for the new, yet to be installed generation of basestation. To achieve these savings, while at the same time providing very large bandwidths, in this talk we address advanced design and characterization techniques for efficient & linear power amplification. We extend our discussion with reviewing various high-efficiency amplifier techniques like Doherty and Outphasing and show how to increase the efficiency and bandwidth of the final transmitter using mixed-signal and digital techniques. We close this overview with an outlook on how a combination of smart CMOS drivers, advanced microwave design and packaging techniques can provide us with a new revolutionary basestation generation.

Biography

Leo C. N. de Vreede was born in Delft, the Netherlands in 1965. He received the Ph.D. degree (cum laude) from Delft University of Technology in 1996. In 1988 he joined the Laboratory of Telecommunication and Remote Sensing Technology of the Department of Electrical Engineering, Delft University of Technology. In 1996, he was appointed as assistant professor at the Delft University of Technology working on the nonlinear distortion behavior of bipolar transistors at Delft Institute of Microelectronics and Submicron Technology (DIMES). In the winter season of 98-99 he was a guest of the high speed device group at the University of San Diego, California. In '99 he became an associate professor, responsible for the Microwave Components Group of the Delft University of Technology. Since that time he worked on RF solutions for improved linearity and RF performance at the device, circuit and system level. He is co-founder/advisor of Anteverta-mw a company specialized in RF device characterization, (co)recipient of the IEEE Microwave prize in 2008, mentor of the Else Kooi prize awarded PhD work in 2010, mentor of the Dow Energy dissertation prize awarded PhD work in 2011, (co)authored more than 100 IEEE refereed conference and journal papers and holds several patents. His current interest includes RF measurement systems, technology optimization and circuit concepts for wireless systems.