Tera50 - A 10-1000 GHz Wireless Measurement System with 50 GHz Bandwidth

Proposer

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Andreas Czylwik

University of Duisburg-Essen

Abteilung Elektro- und Informationstechnik

Fachgebiet Nachrichtentechnische Systeme (NTS)

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Kaiser

University of Duisburg-Essen

Abteilung für Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik

Fachgebiet Digitale Signalverarbeitung

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Klaus Solbach

University of Duisburg-Essen

Abteilung Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik

Fachgebiet Hochfrequenztechnik (HFT)

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Andreas Stöhr

University of Duisburg-Essen

Abteilung Elektro- und Informationstechnik

Fachgebiet Optoelektronik (OE)

Abstract

The key objective of the DFG priority programSPP 1655 is to increase the data rates of mobile wireless systems from today of around 1 Gbit/s to future 100 Gbit/s and higher. Such enormous boost in data rate by minimum two orders of magnitude requires either an extremely high spectral efficiency or an extreme bandwidth of several tens of Gigahertz or a trade-off between them. In order to reach this ambitious goal, a suitable carrier frequency and bandwidth has to be selected under several constraints, including the worldwide regulation, the wireless propagation effects and various technology constraints like power consumption, semiconductor technology, processing performance, and circuit design. Therefore, inTera50 we aim to develop the basis for a modular wireless measurement system with up to 50 GHz bandwidth and carrier frequencies ranging from 10 GHz to 1 THz. Moreover, we aim to investigate withinTera50 relevant characteristics of the wireless propagation channel having direct impact on the data rate, like the spectral efficiency increasing spatial multiplexing gain as a function of carrier frequency and bandwidth. In summary, the goals ofTera50 are

  • the development of a modular, accurate and open wireless measurement system,
  • the demonstration of minimum 100 Gbit/s over the air,
  • the investigation of MIMO channel characteristics as a function of carrier frequency and bandwidth,
  • the technological development of a 225-275 GHz opto-electric (o/e) mixer,
  • the analysis of analog RF impairments at very high frequencies and its compensation. Moreover, theTera50 measurement system will be made available to all contributors to the DFG priority program, for instance
  • for those who design a transmit and/or receive Base Band Unit (BBU),

Tera50 allows a transmission over the air and enables the testing of the BBU with real data,

  • for those who design a transmit and/or receive Radio Front End (RFE),Tera50 provides arbitrary BB waveforms being suitable e.g. for exploring the RFE imperfections,
  • for those who design a transmitter and/or a receiver,Tera50 provides either testing capabilities as a reference system or the missing counter piece,
  • for those who design algorithms,Tera50 facilitates the study of various aspects, like massive MIMO arrays, impact of quantization, RF imperfections etc.

With this open approach,Tera50 supports researchers from different scientific disciplines, like semiconductors, microelectronics, high frequency, physical and mac layer communications, and brings them closer together due to the common measurement platform. Moreover,Tera50 facilitates the joint investigation of analog and/or digital hardware and/or software centric subsystems and/or architectures.

Right from the project start, a 4x4-MIMO-UWB measurement system with more than 5 GHz transmit bandwidth gives all contributors an early access to this 1st generation ofTera50 . Nine months later a 2nd generation single antenna system with a bandwidth of 7 GHz and a carrier frequency of 60 GHz will be available. An extension towards multiple antennas, dual polarization and up to 10 GHz bandwidth will result in the targeted bit rate of 100 Gbit/s over the air and will be available 18 months after the project start. The final evolutionary step is to develop the 3rd generation of the Tera50 wireless system providing a bandwidth of 50 GHz at a carrier frequency of 250 GHz. Beside corresponding measurement campaigns, the hardware of other contributors can be principally integrated and tested in the last six months until the 1st three-year period of the DFG priority program ends. Note that theTera50 system will also be available for the succeeding 2nd three-year period, e.g., for embedding other carrier frequencies up to 1 THz, for comprehensive channel measurement campaigns, for comparing and predicting the performance of algorithms, and, last but not least, for optimizing the trade-off between wireless channel constraints - like bandwidth, carrier frequency, and spatial multiplexing gain - and the mentioned technology constraints in order to well achieve the targeted 100 Gbit/s.