The applications of superconductors in cellular network base stations
Riaan Du Toit · SUNScholar (Stellenbosch University) · 2008
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Applications of Superconductors in Cellular Network Base Stations R. Du Toit Department of Electronic Engineering University of Stellenbosch Private Bag X1, 7602 Matieland, South Africa Thesis: MScEng (E&E) March 2008 Wireless communications have increasingly become part of our world. The growth of radio frequency (RF) wireless communications has led to an increasing demand for frequency spectrum licenses, increased system capacity and larger user bandwidths. These demands lead to frequent improvements on the physical and higher layers of wireless communication protocols. Changes in the physical layer are frequently followed by the need for replacement of dedicated hardware components. The need therefore exists for a more general and programmable physical layer. A more general and programmable radio architecture implies increased radio front-end performance without losing programmability. The contribution of this thesis is the analysis of how superconductor electronics (SCE) using Rapid Single Flux Quantum (RSFQ) logic may advance wireless radio front-ends by providing a general-purpose programmable radio architecture. Superconductor analogue to digital converters (ADCs) are employed as high performance, programmable digitization structures. Once a received signal is digitized, SCE can be used to rapidly do recursive operations such as synchronization and multi-path delay estimation. These operations are based on correlation, and for evaluation of such operations with SCE the popular CDMA multiplexing method is studied along with the WCDMA protocol used in the 3G UMTS standard. Two delta-type oversampling superconductor ADC modulator designs are presented and evaluated along with a hybrid decimation filter design, using both the benefits of SCE and room temperature electronics. A fast RSFQ correlator design is also presented and evaluated for use in a multi-path estimation structure. A rapid multi-path delay estimation architecture based on fast RSFQ circular data buffers and correlators is presented. The architecture uses the fast speeds of RSFQ logic to obtain accurate path delay estimates in a rapidly changing wireless environment. It is concluded that RSFQ-based wireless receiver components offer promising new options for data conversion, correlation and multi-path delay estimation implementations.