Millimetre wave measurement equipment

Over the past 5 years there has been a massive explosion in the use of mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets. These are wirelessly connected devices requiring broadband internet connection. Numbers are forecast to reach 40 billion worldwide by 2020 as areas as diverse as the home, transport, healthcare, military and infrastructure experience increasing levels of embedded 'smart' functionality and user operability. The 'Internet of Things' (IoT) was recognised by Sir Mark Walport, the Government Chief Scientific Adviser and Head of the Government Office for Science, as offering great opportunities for the UK economy, requiring increasing use of wireless communication methods such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, NFC, and other IoT standards. In areas such as mobile broadband uptake has driven the development of 3G/4G technologies and is growing at double digit rates. 68% of UK adults use mobile phone or portable computers to access the Internet and there are currently over 3 billion mobile-broadband subscriptions globally. Current mobile broadband operates at frequencies up to 6 GHz. However, there is a growing realisation that the spectrum below 6 GHz cannot support the huge data rates being demanded by future users and applications. The next step is to develop 5G technologies utilising very high frequencies, so called millimetre wave frequencies (mmwave) to give data rates compatible with future demand. Currently world licencing bodies such as ETSI and ITU have identified frequencies from 30 GHz to 90 GHz as most likely for this expansion in the spectrum.
Conventionally, mmwave technologies have not been used (or suitable) for mobile, low power, handheld products, instead its applications have been focused on fixed wireless and cellular backhaul infrastructure. This was due to costs and the fact that high frequency signals propagate over short distances - the latter will be overcome by adopting small local cells. However, low cost, power efficient and high performance mmwave transceivers will become vital, especially for use in consumer mobile devices - where the battery energy budget and 'Bill of Materials' costs are of prime importance. Critical components for millimetre wave systems include materials, antennas, devices such as transistors and amplifiers, circuits, components and filters. Such components require research and development to reduce costs and improve efficiency to sustain battery life. New low loss materials need to be developed for millimetre wave frequencies. The most efficient method to achieve low cost efficient designs is to integrate all the system components onto chips or wafers which can subsequently be produced in very high volume and at low cost.
Strategically the UK must develop wireless technologies to compete on the world stage and increase its competitiveness particularly in competition with the far east. Superfast 5G level Telecoms infrastructure is central to the Industrial Strategy Green Paper that the UK government have been championing and announced in ten pillars of combined strategy.
The requested equipment will be based at and supported by the University of Sheffield and provide a flagship measurement system for millimetre wave components. It will be accessible to all UK universities and industries. It provides for measurements on devices, components, antennas, circuits, materials and integrated systems. Uniquely for the UK, it provides a facility to test antennas on wafer which will be the technology used to produce low cost systems. The measurement system can be split into three components - the antenna measurement scanner; the vector network analyser which provides the signal transmission and reception; and a probe station which makes contact to the on-chip components.

Why are we doing this? There is a continuing vital need for the UK to develop its capability in high technology RF research, design and development. The rise of '5G' has highlighted the reliance future high-capacity mobile communications systems will place on millimetre wavelength (mmave) technology. The demand for such technology is growing and the development of future systems demands new and focused research across academia and industry. Such research requires new, advanced capability test equipment, such as that which is proposed. The requested equipment will support innovative R+D activity in UK manufacturers (existing and start-up) underpinning the growth for UK plc. The equipment will also directly benefit other UK (and international) academic institutions involved in mmwave technology R+D. The proposed Facility will also serve to develop the University of Sheffield's capability in broader areas of radio system design and prototyping, and will be a visible statement of both its existing strength and continued growth in this field, particularly related to mmwave systems. Finally, the opportunity for young researchers and engineers to use and operate such high-end equipment will help prepare them for future leading industrial and academic positions
Who has a stake / could benefit? Several relevant industrial organisations have been canvased and have expressed their support for the measurement Facility being proposed. (We have already received external requests to use the Facility for radar MMIC characterisation, amounting to 20 days per year.) Notably, organisations identified that could benefit from the Facility include manufacturers: Filtronic Broadband, Arralis, Bentley, Finmeccanica-Selex and Thales as well as high technology design houses such as Cambridge Consultants and Plextek. Integrated circuit manufacturers such as Arralis, Analog Devices and Peregrine Semiconductors have also informed us of their increasing activity in the mmwave field and will benefit from access to the measurement Facility. Innovative start-ups developing integrated circuits often require short-term device test and characterisation and will be encouraged to engage with us. The capability of the Facility will also make it significant globally and attractive to international R+D institutions and be a useful collaboration facilitator. The University of Sheffield's Communications, Semiconductors and Materials Research Groups are actively extending their research agenda in mmwave technologies and the equipment requested in forming the Facility will strongly contribute to this aim.
What may change for those impacted? Industry partners will be encouraged to use the facility for outsourcing complex test and characterisation of wafer circuits, devices and mmwave antennas. This will allow the partners to perform speculative testing for R+D activities without impeding their internal resources. Such rapid availability is often a critical success factor for commercial projects. Industry partners will also be sought and encouraged to view Sheffield as a potential, co-located R+D partner facility, for the longer-term provoking much new research collaboration, both direct industry funded as well as EPSRC funded research. We anticipate that both UK and international academic institutions will view the University of Sheffield as a partner of continued high value and relevance, and hence be sought after for further exciting collaborations. In the short-term, the attraction will be directly linked to rapid access to the Facility's equipment, but over time our developed expertise in the allied areas (such as mmwave metrology) will be of equal value, leading to further consultancy and collaboration opportunities.
Finally, access to the facility will help inform undergraduate and postgraduate teaching at the University - increasing our industrial relevance and that of the students we host.