Software defi ned radio: Part 22 in a series of tutorials on instrumentation and measurement

A software defined radio (SDR) [1] is a communication system that performs many of its required signal processing tasks in a programmable digital signal processing (DSP) engine. The engine is coupled to the air interface of analog circuits and antennae by analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters (ADCs and DACs). The SDR's software reprograms the DSP segment of the radio's physical layer to reconFigure the radio system parameters and can thus synthesize multiple radios. The software can also select and alter the air interface components as well as the higher level data processing layers of the radio system.     

Multiple-quantum-well GaInNAs-GaNAs ridge-waveguide laser diodesoperating out to 1.4 μm

In this letter, results from a ridge waveguide laser diode (LD) structure, with three GaInNAs quantum wells (QWs) and GaNAs barriers, are presented. The sample was grown by solid source molecular beam epitaxy with an RF plasma nitrogen source. These devices differ from previously reported GaInNAs QWs LDs that used GaAs as the barrier material. The introduction of nitrogen into the barriers reduces the spectral blue shift caused by post-growth annealing. Long wavelength emission out to 1.405 μm was observed. The devices exhibited threshold current densities as low as 1.5 kA/cm², high differential efficiency of 0.67 W/A, and a maximum output power of 350 mW     

Integrated approach to electrode and AlN depositions for bulk acoustic wave (BAW) devices

This paper investigates the (002) texture of AlN films deposited by reactive pulsed direct current sputtering on Al, Al–Cu, W and Mo metal electrodes. X-Ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy studies show that the AlN texture is dependent on the deposition conditions and nature of the underlayers. A smooth underlayer with a sharp texture represents the best combination of properties. AlN films with a full width at half maximum less than 1.5 have been deposited on the electrodes studied. It is also possible to deposit well-textured electrodes with a roughness less than 2.5 nm.     

Fast full search equivalent encoding algorithms for imagecompression using vector quantization

Three fast search routines to be used in the encoding phase of vector quantization (VQ) image compression systems are presented. These routines, which are based on geometric considerations, provide the same results as an exhaustive (or full) search. Examples show that the proposed algorithms need only 3-20% of the number of mathematical operations required by a full search and fewer than 50% of the operations required by recently proposed alternatives.     

When the lines go down [telecommunications]

Telecommunications planning for national security and emergency preparedness in the post-divestiture (of AT&T) environment is examined. To ensure emergency telecommunications, a web of emergency structures, plans, and procedures are in place, with links from the local provider level to the national level. Involved in this web are: individual companies and providers, regional and national corporate entities, and state and local emergency management centers. Some of the measures in place are discussed. The augmentations or other equipment that can be deployed in any emergency and the role of satellite and wireless communication are described. The importance of human preparation is addressed. Lessons learned in past emergencies and the potential impact of emerging technologies in future emergencies are discussed     

Intelligent network requirements for personal communicationsservices

It is shown that a moderate set of capabilities within the service switching point (SSP), service control point (SCP), and intelligent peripheral (IP), which are the intelligent network (IN) components directly responsible for the real-time execution and control of end-user services, can engender a wide range of end-user personal communication service (PCS) features. These capabilities could be used as the starting point for an economic analysis of IN implementation costs versus service worth. From a very large target set of call model trigger check points (TCPs), the dozen or so identified in the CCITT Capability Set 1 are shown to be sufficient. The SCP and IP functional entity actions identified are also sufficient to support PCS core network functions     

Single-chip design of bit-error-correcting stack decoders

The design of a single-chip VLSI system to implement the Zigangirov-Jelinek sequential decoding algorithm for bit-error-correction is described and the dependence of performance on design parameters is discussed. By virtue of being self-contained, having few input and output pins, and processing stack elements once each clock cycle, the system should be capable of high-speed decoding. For constraint length 21, rate 1/2 codes, and 3-b soft decision detection, it is found that a system containing approximately 25000 stack cells reduces errors in a 3-dB signal-to-noise level environment, corresponding to 7.8% hard decision error rate, by two orders of magnitude. Higher decoding gain is obtained at lower noise levels through the use of a relatively long constraint length. The constraint length is not limited by the architecture. Chip area estimates needed to obtain prescribed decoded error rates and average decoding rates are also described and indicate that an effective system is potentially achievable with current technology     

A monolithic digital chirp synthesizer chip with I andQ channels

A monolithic digital chirp synthesizer (DCS) chip has been developed using GaAs/AlGaAs HI²L technology. The 6500-HBT-gate DCS chip is capable of producing linear frequency-modulated (chirp) waveforms or single-frequency waveforms. The major components of the DCS are two 28-b pipelined accumulators, a 1.8 kb sine ROM, a 1.8 kb cosine ROM, and two 8 b digital-to-analog converters (DACs). The total chip area is 4.877 mm×6.172 mm using a minimum feature size of 1.5 μm. All components of the DCS are fully functional and the device has been clocked to 450 MHz with a power dissipation of 18 W     

A hybrid frequency–time domain symmetric adaptive decorrelator

Symmetric adaptive decorrelation (SAD) is a semi-blind method of separating convolutely mixed signals. While it has restrictions on the physical layout of the demixing equipment, it is better suited for some applications (e.g., live sound mixing) as no post-processing is required to ascertain which output corresponds with which source. Since SAD is based on the least mean squares algorithm, it can be modified to perform the bulk of the processing in the frequency domain. This makes it more efficient for larger filter sizes and/or larger number of sources but renders it unsuitable for real-time applications as there is a lag between the output and the input. In this paper, we propose a hybrid approach that does not suffer from the lag of the frequency domain approach. While the proposed algorithm is slightly less computationally efferent than the pure frequency domain algorithm, it is significantly more efficient than the time domain approach. A comparison of the frequency domain and hybrid algorithms shows that both achieve separation equivalent to the time domain algorithm in a real-world environment.     

Atom Probe Tomography of Zinc Oxide Nanowires

Wide-bandgap zinc oxide (ZnO) semiconductors and nanowires have become important materials for electronic and photonic device applications. In this work, we report the growth of well-aligned single-crystal ZnO nanowire arrays on sapphire substrates by chemical vapor deposition and the development of atom probe tomography, an emerging nanoscale characterization method capable of providing deeper insight into the three-dimensional distribution of atoms and impurities within its structure. Using a metal-catalyst-free approach, the influence of the growth parameters on the orientation and density of the nanowires were studied. The resulting ZnO nanowires were determined to be single crystalline, with diameter on the order of 50 nm to 150 nm and length that could be controlled between 0.5 μm to 20 μm. Their density was on the order of high 10⁸ cm⁻² to low 10⁹ cm⁻². In addition to routine characterizations using scanning and transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, photoluminescence, and Raman spectroscopy, we developed the atom probe tomography technique for ZnO nanowires, comparing the voltage pulse and laser pulse modes. In-depth analysis of the data was carried out to determine the accurate chemical composition of the nanowires and reveal the incorporation of nitrogen impurities. The current–voltage characteristics of individual nanowires were measured to determine their electrical properties.