Enabling technologies for advancing mm-wave communications and nanomedicine applications
Two decades ago, small multi-functional devices that combined computing, communication, and imaging needed to accommodate emerging mobile applications to offer unlimited connectivity of people to each other anywhere and anytime. Today, single function devices (i.e. flip phones and cameras) are relics to most college-age students. The success of multifunctional devices arose from integration of digital and analog circuits with imaging technology as well as mixed signal design solutions in a compact low power platform that operated at very high speeds. These speeds led to size reduction, more bandwidth availability to accommodate large numbers of users and large data transmission.
As we approach the third decade of the 21st century, new emerging application such as Internet of Things applications seek connectivity to things as well as between things. Sensing technology advancements, however, inspired growth in healthcare and environmental applications through remote access to data collection and sharing. Moreover, mobility enabled telemedicine for remote service access and nanotechnology enabled nanomedicine targeted diagnostics and therapies. To accommodate this growth and unprecedented number of users (i.e. people and things) the mm-wave frequency bands and higher are essential and has motivated development of 5G and emerging 6G technology. Its power levels, however, typically low (mW) to ultra-low (nW), place high priority on reducing power consumption and developing designs and methods to minimize and/or alleviate loss in every possible way.
This talk will highlight our work to enable communications at mm-waves and in nanomedicine, with low-power solutions and signal enhancement methods. For communications, novel low loss design concepts are discussed of virtual antenna arrays for phased arrays and vertical free space interconnects for 3D system integration. For nanomedicine, concepts for FMRid nanolabels are described based on ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) characterization of magnetic nanowires with signal enhancement methods for use as bio-markers in cancer detection.
Prof. Rhonda Franklin
Professor, University of Minnesota on December 6, 2019 at 11:45 AM in EB2 1230
Rhonda R. Franklin received her B.S. Texas A&M University, and M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in Electrical Engineering. She is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at University of Minnesota. Her research investigates design of circuits, antennas, integration and packaging techniques, and characterization of electronic materials and magnetic nanomaterials for communication, biomedical and nanomedicine applications. She has co-authored over 100 referred conference and journals, five book chapters and two patents. She received the National Science Foundation’s Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers and 3M Untenured Faculty Award. She is active in the IEEE MTT-S (e.g. associate editor of MWCL, chaired IMS TPRC sub-committees, student paper competitions and scholarship committee) and is a co-founder of IMS Project Connect and Chair of MTT-S Technical Coordinating Committee for Integration and Packaging. She is the 2014 Sara Evans Faculty Scholar Leader Award, 2017 John Tate Advising Award, and 2018 Willie Hobbs Moore Distinguished Alumni Lecture Award and the 2019 IEEE N. Walter Cox Service Award recipient from the MTT-S Society. She is also an advocate for professional development programs to support broadening participation in engineering and the academy.
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