Project overview
The most important requirements for low-noise frequency generation are rooted in the needs to increase the amount of information that can be exchanged by communicating wireless nodes and to augment the detection sensitivity achieved by current resonant sensing platforms. However, the growing demand for low-power consumption of untethered and miniaturized portable electronics limits the capabilities of existing frequency generators to achieve the required frequency stability to enable larger data-rates in wireless networks, and to increase the limit-of-detection (LOD) in resonant platforms. In MicronRF, we are developing a new class of integrated low-power stabilization circuits, referred to as parametric filters. These circuits exploit the complex dynamics of parametrically driven systems to achieve the unique functionality of a low-pass filter for the phase-noise affecting their input signal. By enabling more stable frequency sources, the proposed parametric filter will allow to reduce the power consumed by wireless battery-operated nodes and to surpass the limits in resolution exhibited by available resonant sensors, thus leading to unprecedented detection capabilities.
