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UM’s state key lab receives two more US patents in microelectronics

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DC-offset cancelled programmable gain array for low-voltage wireless LAN system and method using the same
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The first author of the three patented projects Dr. Elvis Mak

Following the first patent in microelectronics received in 2009, the University of Macau (UM)’s State-Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI received two more US patents in the field of wireless circuits and systems in May and June 2011 respectively.

Microelectronics is the core hardware of modern wireless technologies. It determines the cost and performance of wireless products. Yet, the demand of low-voltage operation and multi-standardability complicates the development of future 4th-generation wireless communication systems. In the last 5 years, Dr. Elvis Mak Pui In, Prof. U Seng Pan and Prof. Rui Martins investigated on novel techniques to address those issues, with funding from the Science and Technology Development Fund of Macao SAR. These two newly-awarded US patents are entitled “Two-Step Channel Selection for Wireless Transmitter Front-Ends” and “DC-offset cancelled programmable gain array for low-voltage wireless LAN system and method using the same”; both are originally from the Ph.D. thesis of Dr. Elvis Mak fully developed at UM. The former improves the channel-selection process of wireless transmitters using the baseband circuitry, resulting in simpler architecture in complying with different standards. The latter exploits a novel negative feedback technique embedded into the amplifier to reduce the chip area necessary to build the dc-offset-removal integrator. Both techniques are generally applicable to future high-data-rate multi-standard multi-band wireless communication systems, improving their performance and cost-efficiency.

These three US patents of the State-Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI (unique in Macao), and several others which are currently under process, with their intelligent properties, will lay a solid foundation for the future nurturing of spin-off companies that will have the potential to appear in the forthcoming open research base on the new UM campus.

The first author of the three patented projects Dr. Elvis Mak already published many papers in prestigious international journals during his bachelor and PhD years at UM, and many of his research achievements have won awards both at home and abroad.
 


10/06/2011