Mladen Božanić – författare

This book provides a system-level approach to making packaging decisions for millimeter-wave transceivers. In electronics, the packaging forms a bridge between the integrated circuit or individual device and the rest of the electronic system, encompassing all technologies between the two. To be able to make well-founded packaging decisions, researchers need to understand a broad range of aspects, including: concepts of transmission bands, antennas and propagation, integrated and discrete package substrates, materials and technologies, interconnects, passive and active components, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of various packages and packaging approaches, and package-level modeling and simulation. Packaging also needs to be considered in terms of system-level testing, as well as associated testing and production costs, and reducing costs. This peer-reviewed work contributes to the extant scholarly literature by addressing the aforementioned concepts and applying them to the context of the millimeter-wave regime and the unique opportunities that this transmission approach offers.

This peer-reviewed book explores the methodologies that are used for effective research, design and innovation in the vast field of millimeter-wave circuits, and describes how these have to be modified to fit the uniqueness of high-frequency nanoelectronics design. Each chapter focuses on a specific research challenge related to either small form factors or higher operating frequencies. The book first examines nanodevice scaling and the emerging electronic design automation tools that can be used in millimeter-wave research, as well as the singular challenges of combining deep-submicron and millimeter-wave design. It also demonstrates the importance of considering, in the millimeter-wave context, system-level design leading to differing packaging options. Further, it presents integrated circuit design methodologies for all major transceiver blocks typically employed at millimeter-wave frequencies, as these methodologies are normally fundamentally different from the traditionaldesign methodologies used in analogue and lower-frequency electronics. Lastly, the book discusses the methodologies of millimeter-wave research and design for extreme or harsh environments, rebooting electronics, the additional opportunities for terahertz research, and the main differences between the approaches taken in millimeter-wave research and terahertz research. 

This book contributes to the body of scholarly knowledge by exploring the main ideas of wireless networks of past, present, and future, trends in the field of networking, the capabilities of 5G and technologies that are potential enablers of 6G, potential 6G applications and requirements, as well as unique challenges and opportunities that 6G research is going to offer over the next decade. It covers research topics such as communication via millimeter-waves, terahertz waves and visible light to enable faster speeds, as well as research into achieving other basic requirements of 6G networks. These include low end-to-end latency, high energy efficiency, coverage that is ubiquitous and always-on, integration of terrestrial wireless with non-terrestrial networks, network management that is made more effective by connected intelligence with machine learning capabilities, as well as support for the evolution of old service classes and support for new ones. 

This book is the first standalone book that combines research into low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) with research into millimeter-wave circuits. In compiling this book, the authors have set two research objectives. The first is to bring together the research context behind millimeter-wave circuit operation and the theory of low-noise amplification. The second is to present new research in this multi-disciplinary field by dividing the common LNA configurations and typical specifications into subsystems, which are then optimized separately to suggest improvements in the current state-of-the-art designs. To achieve the second research objective, the state-of-the-art LNA configurations are discussed and the weaknesses of state-of the art configurations are considered, thus identifying research gaps. Such research gaps, among others, point towards optimization – at a systems and microelectronics level. Optimization topics include the influence of short wavelength, layout and crosstalk on LNAperformance. Advanced fabrication technologies used to decrease the parasitics of passive and active devices are also explored, together with packaging technologies such as silicon-on-chip and silicon-on-package, which are proposed as alternatives to traditional IC implementation. This research outcome builds through innovation. Innovative ideas for LNA construction are explored, and alternative design methodologies are deployed, including LNA/antenna co-design or utilization of the electronic design automation in the research flow. The book also offers the authors’ proposal for streamlined automated LNA design flow, which focuses on LNA as a collection of highly optimized subsystems.