The Technology
A large area of the main board in a communication device is occupied by RF chips from different vendors to support different standards. Reconfigurable RFICs are an attractive feature to sustain the increasing number of standards and frequency bands of modern mobile devices. In a reconfigurable RF architecture, the connection between different blocks (e.g., mixers, filters, and amplifiers), or their internal configuration, can be changed. To provide reconfiguration high-performance RF switches are required, and the search continues for RF switches that can be easily integrated, have high transmission performance, low power consumption, and high power-handling.
The technology developed suggest a novel capabilities of emerging memory technologies (memristors) in high-frequency applications to provide adaptability to RF integrated circuits (RFIC).
Advantages
- Allows for fast switching
- Allows for reduced switching energy
- The programming mechanism is compatible with existing radio transceivers.
Applications and Opportunities
- Reconfigurable RF integrated circuits