PhD Studentship - Nonlinear Microwave Measurement & Modelling for 5G Mobile Communication (038317)

Supervisors: Dr Peter H. Aaen (Surrey)

                       Prof. Nick M. Ridler (NPL)

Funding: Directly Funded Project (European/UK Students only)

Deadline: 15 June 2017

Project Title: Nonlinear Microwave Measurement & Modelling for 5G Mobile Communication

Research Group: n3m-labs, Advanced Technology Institute, EEE, FEPS

The Advanced Technology Institute (ATI) at the University of Surrey and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) are jointly offering a PhD studentship in conjunction with an internationally leading industrial sponsor to advance nonlinear microwave measurements and modelling for GaN transistors to be used in 5G wireless networks.  

The international microwave measurement community has made a significant investment in the research, development, and commercialization of nonlinear characterization systems and nonlinear models to support computer-aided design methodologies. These efforts resulted in the development of nonlinear-vector network analyzers, time-domain measurement techniques, and models such as X-parameters. Developments over the past 10 years were so rapid that essentially no work has yet been performed to assess the uncertainty in the measurement, nor to assess how the uncertainty propagates from the measurement to the nonlinear models and the coefficients of these models as they are extracted. Having knowledge about model uncertainties will play a critical role in the realization of the new circuits and systems underpinning this telecommunications infrastructure. As more demands are placed upon the electronics used in 5th generation wireless networks (5G) and the Internet of Things (IoT), the metrology and associated modeling of these techniques is an essential requirement.  In this work we propose to undertake a research program in nonlinear characterization where we will develop and propose international traceable standards and characterization methods that enable the worldwide research community to certify and compare the operation of their nonlinear characterization systems and understand the uncertainties within their nonlinear models.  The approach will establish uncertainties in the measurements and the model extraction parameters.

The successful applicant will join a newly launched laboratory, n3m-labs, funded from a £2M EPSRC strategic equipment grant, the studentship will require the usage of the latest characterization and modelling equipment within the laboratory.

All Surrey PhD researchers are supported and encouraged in the development of their technical and transferrable skills through training and mentoring programs.

Applicants are expected to have a first-class or 2:1 degree or equivalent in Electrical Engineering or Physics; a solid background in Microwave Engineering is an additional advantage. The post is open for home-fee qualifying applicants.

Further information about PhD places in Surrey can be found here (http://www.surrey.ac.uk/postgraduate/electronic-engineering-phd), while information about our cutting-edge research can be found here:

http://www.surrey.ac.uk/ati/  and http://www.npl.co.uk

http://www.surrey.ac.uk/ati/tac/people/dr_peter_aaen/

Application enquiries:

Dr Peter H Aaen (p.aaen@surrey.ac.uk)

Applications link: http://www.surrey.ac.uk/postgraduate/electronic-engineering-phd

Closing Date: 15 Jun 2017
Category: PhD Studentships