Multi-Gigabaud Millimeter-Wave Communication - Challenges and Solutions
Doctoral thesis, 2017

A major challenge in future mobile networks is to overcome the capacity barrier in wireless communication. Utilizing large bandwidth at higher frequencies is key to enabling capacity upgrade for next generation mobile networks (5G). As expected, multi-gigabit wireless communication is needed to support future 5G networks, particularly in the transport capacity of wireless backhaul and fronthaul. To be futureproof, wireless technologies towards 100 Gbps are of great interest. Millimeter-wave (mm-wave) frequency bands (30 to 300 GHz) have sufficient bandwidth to support these high data rates. However, due to hardware limitations, it is challenging to implement multi-GHz modulation bandwidth in actual hardware. For example, limited by the sampling rate of analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters, conventional digital modulator and demodulator (modem) designs cannot be applied to the very wide bandwidth required. As proof-of-concept, this thesis presents modems with multi-GHz bandwidth capability [A, B, C, D, E], as required for further capacity enhancement when combined with high-order modulations. The solutions in [C, D, E] do not require any data converters, therefore state-of-the-art energy efficiency is achieved [D, E]. The digital receiver in [B], on the other hand, relaxes requirements on the sampling speed thus being cost and power efficient. Enabled by the proposed modems, multi-gigabit transmission is demonstrated over mm-wave bands [B, C, E] and a short-range optical link [D]. Another aspect that limits the practical use of mm-wave is the degradation of the communication signal quality due to high-frequency hardware impairments. In particular, oscillator phase noise increases with the carrier frequency. An analog phase noise mitigation technique is proposed for arbitrary mm-wave signal waveforms [F]. As a new system application, an analog fronthaul radio link is enabled by implementing phase noise mitigation, where LTE transmission is demonstrated at 70/80 GHz as a step towards future 5G systems [G]. To reach 100 Gbps and beyond, despite the wide bandwidth available at mm-wave bands, the simultaneous use of high-order modulations is also required. However, it is primarily the oscillator noise floor that prevents this combination from being successfully achieved, as confirmed in measurements [H]. A new understanding of performance limitation in wideband communication is provided in a detailed study [I], with guidelines on how to improve hardware designs.

phase noise

high-order modulation

5G

multi-gigabaud

PAM-4

high data rate

white noise

multi-gigabit

phase noise mitigation

64-QAM

mobile backhaul

VCSEL driver

Frequency multiplier

modem

high frequency oscillator

multiplicative noise

power detector

fronthaul

millimeter-wave communication

Kollektorn, MC2, Kemivägen 9
Opponent: Professor Izzat Darwazeh, University College London, England

Author

Jingjing Chen

Chalmers, Microtechnology and Nanoscience (MC2), Microwave Electronics

10 Gbps 16QAM transmission over a 70/80 GHz (E-band) radio test-bed

European Microwave Week 2012: "Space for Microwaves", EuMW 2012, Conference Proceedings - 7th European Microwave Integrated Circuits Conference, EuMIC 2012,;(2012)p. 556-559

Paper in proceeding

A Hardware Efficient Implementation of a Digital Baseband Receiver for High-Capacity Millimeter-Wave Radios

IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques,;Vol. 63(2015)p. 1683-1692

Journal article

Experimental demonstration of RF-pilot-based phase noise mitigation for millimeter-wave systems

IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference,;(2014)p. Art. no. 6965978-

Paper in proceeding

A data-rate adaptable modem solution for millimeter-wave wireless fronthaul networks

2015 IEEE International Conference on Communication Workshop, ICCW 2015,;(2015)p. 1-6

Paper in proceeding

Demonstration of analog millimeter-wave fronthaul for 64-QAM LTE transmission

IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference,;(2015)

Paper in proceeding

A high speed power detector for D-band communication

IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques,;Vol. 62(2014)p. 1515 -1523

Journal article

An Energy Efficient 56 Gbps PAM-4 VCSEL Transmitter Enabled by a 100 Gbps Driver in 0.25 µm InP DHBT Technology

Journal of Lightwave Technology,;Vol. 34(2016)p. 954-4964

Journal article

Does LO Noise Floor Limit Performance in Multi-Gigabit Millimeter-Wave Communication?

IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters,;Vol. 27(2017)p. 769-771

Journal article

J. Chen, D. Kuylenstierna, S. E. Gunnarsson, Z. He, T. Eriksson, T. Swahn and H. Zirath, “Influence of white LO noise on wideband millimeter-wave communication"

Driving Forces

Sustainable development

Subject Categories

Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering

ISBN

978-91-7597-650-1

Doktorsavhandlingar vid Chalmers tekniska högskola. Ny serie: 4331

Publisher

Chalmers

Kollektorn, MC2, Kemivägen 9

Opponent: Professor Izzat Darwazeh, University College London, England

More information

Latest update

10/19/2018