SBIR Phase I: Ultra Low Power RF Receivers Based on Subthreshold CMOS Biasing

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I research project is aimed at design and implementation of low cost, battery-less (traditional batteries), sensitive, ultra low-power and fully integrated wireless receivers for ad hoc sensor networks. Electronics of future wireless sensors should not require battery replacement for sensor's life of operation while providing high sensitivity and good performance. This research will provide a low power fully integrated solution for such electronic systems. Specifically, it is proposed to use sub-threshold biasing of RF CMOS circuits coupled with high-Q integrated 3D passives to substantially reduce the power consumption of a multi-GHz RF receiver, while maintaining its good performance. The research will study alternative power generation schemes to substitute alkaline-based batteries and develop novel low-cost integration technology with embedded high-Q passives. Successful implementation will result in low-cost low-power wireless nodes and make mega-scale electronic monitoring operations become practical and long-term in-vivo applications become possible. For example blanket emergency response systems for natural disasters and chemical/biological attacks will improve. Given its low power and compact nature, the proposed system can be applied to implantable miniaturized electronics for monitoring the in-vivo environment, delivering nerve actuation and releasing medications like insulin. These nodes will not use alkaline-based batteries, so they are environmentally safe and can be readily disposed. Results of this effort will be used to develop a fully-integrated ultra low power transceiver with integrated antenna and printable batteries.