Advanced High-Performance GaAs or GaN RF/mm-Wave Front-End Integrated Circuit Designs and Testing for Next-Generation Satellite Communications
Project Description
Satellite Communications (SatCom) is a critical component of the global communications ecosystem, supporting a variety of applications such as navigation systems, military operations, weather monitoring, and telecommunications. As demand for bandwidth continues to grow, the SatCom industry is turning to higher-frequency bands like Ku band (12–18 GHz), Ka band (26–40 GHz), and Q-/V bands (40-50GHz) [1].
The future of the SatCom market relies on balancing cost with performance, as high-capacity GEO networks and new LEO and MEO satellite constellations are expected to meet the increasing demand for broadband access. Beamforming is becoming increasingly vital in satellite communications, offering a key solution for delivering Very High-Throughput Satellite (VHTS) payloads alongside flexible ground terminal technologies.
Conventional beamforming integrated circuits (ICs) consolidate RF, mixed-signal, and digital components like power amplifiers (PA), low-noise amplifiers (LNA), phase shifters, signal splitters/combiners, power management units, command memory, and test/calibration circuits into a single chip. While these ICs are essential for efficient satellite communication, they face performance challenges as systems transition to higher frequency bands, such as Q-V and W bands.
To address these limitations, RF Front-End (RFFE) components made from Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) or Gallium Nitride (GaN) are emerging as alternatives to silicon-based RFFEs, offering improvements in RF power, noise figures, and reliability, though with trade-offs in cost and performance.
The goal of this master thesis is to develop compact, highly integrated RFFE designs that achieve high RF power, low noise, low DC power consumption, and high reliability at high mm-Wave frequency bands while working seamlessly with antennas and silicon-based beamforming ICs. These advancements are essential to the continued evolution of the SatCom industry, enabling more efficient and reliable satellite communication systems.
Requirements
- Analog Integrated Circuits
- Communication Circuits
- Electromagnetic Simulation Experience
Project components
- 20% Literature Survey
- 10% Familiarization of GaAs or GaN Process and Simulation Tools
- 35% Schematic Design
- 35% Layout and Electromagnetic Simulations
Contact
- Dr. Tzu-Yuan Huang: tzhuang [at] iis.ee.ethz.ch
- Prof. Dr. Hua Wang: hua.wang [at] iis.ee.ethz.ch
Reference [1]: European Space Agency (ESA) Satellite Frequency Bands.