RF/Microwave Mobile Communications Laboratory
Dr. Shawn Stapleton and Dr. Jim Cavers
The Mobile Communications Laboratory highlights the physical and data
link levels of mobile and personal communications. This focus reflects
the enthusiasms and expertise of its two principals, Shawn Stapleton and
Jim Cavers. Their continuing research collaboration has resulted in a
convergence of digital signal processing (DSP) and radio frequency (RF)
design methods, with a generous mixture of modulation, detection and
coding theory thrown in.
Over its ten-year history, the Mobile Communications Lab has given birth
to many innovative designs, several of which are in commercial use. One
example is the linearization of power amplifiers: the lab was home to one
of the world's first adaptive digital predistorters, the world's first
adaptive baseband analog predistorter, the world's first jointly adaptive
predistorter and quadrature modulator and the world's widest bandwidth
feedforward linearizer. Another example is RF IC design, in which many
novel GaAs MMICs were designed and later used by industrial groups.
A new thrust in adaptive antenna arrays for cellular and PCS applications
has already yielded theoretically and commercially promising results. For
example, joint detection combined with diversity promises to dramatically
increase the capacity of TDMA systems. Similarly, coded polarization
diversity provides significant improvement over single links. System
layout for indoor CDMA - currently a "black art" - is the subject of
another analysis, one that will result in design guidelines that decrease
the time and cost of base station placement.
Facility
- 1 Sun SPARCstation 20
- 2 Sun UltraSPARC 1
- 2 Pentium PCs
- 2 HP8510B Network Analyzers, Microtech probing Station (.010 Mhz to 40 Ghz)
- Mobile radio 7 element Array Antenna with downconverters and Data Storage Capability
- 5 Synthesizers covering Frequency range .010 Mhz to 40 Ghz
- 3 Spectrum analyzers covering .010 Mhz to 40 Ghz
- Noise Figure meter, Measuring Receiver and 1 Ghz Oscilloscope
- Digital I & Q Modulator, 4 DSP’s (TMSC25,C30,C50)
- Microwave Software EEsof Touchstone, Sonnet EM, Microwave Spice, Academy,...
- 16 Track Tape Recorder for field measurements
- Antenna Range (800 Mhz - 40 Ghz) includes pedestal, receiver, and software.
- UHF, VHF and Microwave components (amplifiers, mixers, etc.)
Researchers
- Professors: Dr. Shawn Stapleton
and Dr. Jim Cavers
- Post-Doc
- Ph.D.
- M.A.Sc.
- Zhihong Zhao
- Kelly Mekechuk
- Jeffrey Lin
- Z. Zhou
- Alison Smith (Graduated)
- Steve Grant (Graduated)
- Xavier Carbo (Graduated)
- Trent Mckeen (Graduated)
- Wenlei Lian (Graduated)
- Le Quach (Graduated)
- Andrew Keir (Graduated)
- Derek Hilborn (Graduated)
- Flaviu Costescu (Graduated)
- Gurmail Kandola (Graduated)
- Cameron Alakija (Graduated)
Current Research Projects
- Space-Time Codes as applied to Polarization Diversity
- Video Digital Signal processing
- Adaptive Base Station Array Antennas
- Indoor CDMA System Design
- Joint Detection for Fading Channels
- Nonlinear Equalization
Recent Publications