All-Mechanical Micro-Scale Radios

Clark T.-C. Nguyen, UC Berkeley

Prof. Clark Nguyen is a Professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences Department at the University of California at Berkeley, where his main research thrust focuses on micromechanical signal processing. He is the Founder of Discera; served from 2002 to 2005 as a Program Manager in DARPA/MTO; and recently finished a term as President of the IEEE Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control Society. He is an IEEE Fellow and recipient of the 2006 IEEE Cady Award and the 2017 IEEE Bosch MEMS Award.

The use of mechanics to lower the dynamic range requirements of radio and clock receivers has recently reduced communication receive power requirements to near-zero levels. The power-reducing approaches go from partial-mechanical ones, where high Q mechanical circuits ease the burden on transistor circuits; to the latest all-mechanical topology, where micromechanical resonant switch (a.k.a., resoswitch) technology enables listening for incoming signals without the need for current draw, and ultimately only picowatts to receive and process bits once valid signals appear.

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