Passive In-Band RF Power Sensing in Thin-Film Lithium Niobate on Silicon Platform | IEEE Conference Publication | IEEE Xplore

Passive In-Band RF Power Sensing in Thin-Film Lithium Niobate on Silicon Platform

Publisher: IEEE

Abstract:

A frequency selective and passive method for RF power sensing is reported that leverages the interaction of guided Lamb waves and electrons in thin-film lithium niobate (...View more

Abstract:

A frequency selective and passive method for RF power sensing is reported that leverages the interaction of guided Lamb waves and electrons in thin-film lithium niobate (LN) on silicon (Si). The incoming RF signal is first transduced into Lamb waves via the piezoelectricity of LN and is then converted into an electron flow in the Si. The generated direct current (DC) is proportional to the RF power and appears only within the passband frequency of the waveguide which is defined lithographically by the interdigital transducers (IDT) lateral dimensions. Preliminary results show at least 30 dB dynamic range and faster than 1 ms response time. The reported dynamic range is believed to be far from the full potential of this scheme and could be improved by design/optimization, thus, enabling realization of integrated power sensors in micro-acoustic domain.
Date of Conference: 21-25 January 2024
Date Added to IEEE Xplore: 22 February 2024
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Publisher: IEEE
Conference Location: Austin, TX, USA

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INTRODUCTION

Radio frequency (RF) power measurement is critical in telecommunications for increasing power and spectrum efficiency. Currently, heat- or diode-based solutions are commonly used for power sensing. The former, including thermistors and thermocouples, do so by dissipating RF power and measuring the temperature increase within a resistive termination, offering some advantages in terms of accuracy, linearity, and stability but at the cost of few to tens of ms response time. The latter, on the other hand, uses rectification of the voltage across the resistive termination, offering fast response time, wide dynamic range, and highest degree of compatibility with different scenarios and applications [1]. The main drawbacks of diode-based solutions are high temperature induced drift of output and cost considerations regarding power consumption, matching, and chip area at gigahertz range [2].

References

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