Microscopic wireless - Exploring the boundaries of ultra low-power design

Abstract

The continuous reduction of size, and cost of wireless transceivers pretty soon will allow for every appliance, component or object to be networked (“The Internet of Things”). However, a substantial reduction in power dissipation by one or two orders of magnitude is still necessary. In this presentation, we identify the opportunities and challenges offered by technology evolution. While CMOS scaling offers some advantages, it also comes with additional burdens such as leakage and variability. Even more, energy per operation may not reduce very much once we reach the 32 nm node. Fortunately, other emerging devices such as RF-NEMS resonators or other elements emerging from the vast cauldron of nanotechnology may create new opportunities. We will show some example of ULP wireless transceivers created through a combination of aggressive technology utilization, use of novel technologies and innovative architectures. We believe that this combination is what it takes to continue the promise of electronics scaling.