2012/09/01 A*STAR 造出最高傳輸速率 20Gbps 的 Wi-Fi 天線 @ 真乄科技業的頂尖投資團隊

對 Wi-Fi 連接來說，天線對其速度有著非常大的影響，比如說 802.11n 的路由器之所以能達到 450Mbps 的傳輸速度靠的就是 MIMO（多重輸入／輸出）多天線技術的應用。最近來自新加坡的 A*STAR 就在天線領域取得了突破，他們造出了一款矽製 3D 背腔式天線，由於採用了高分子聚合物來填充空隙，使得其尺寸僅有 1.6mm x 1.2mm，大小和一粒芝麻差不多。它的訊號強度達到了超寬頻（Ultrawideband）級別的 135GHz，是整合在晶片上天線的 30 倍。另外其理論上的最快速度可達 20Gbps，和它一比 802.11ac 的 1.3Gbps 可以說是望塵莫及。不過在這款產品真正被投入使用之前還有一個問題需要解決，那就是找到可以「配得上」它的晶片（現在連 7Gbps 的 WiGig 都不行啊）。A*STAR 認為這是一款「商機無限」的產品，而我們更期待的是無線傳輸快過有線傳輸的那一天啊（Thunderbolt：...）。

SCIENTIFIC MEDIA RELEASE
28 August 2012
A*STAR’s IME DEVELOPS SMALLEST ANTENNA THAT CAN INCREASE WIFI SPEED
BY 200 TIMES
Singapore, 28 Aug 2012 ― Researchers from A*STAR’s Institute of Microelectronics (IME)
have developed the first compact high performance silicon-based cavity-backed slot (CBS)
antenna that operates at 135 GHz. The antenna demonstrated 30 times stronger signal
transmission over on-chip antennas at 135 GHz. At just 1.6mm x 1.2mm, approximately the
size of a sesame seed, it is the smallest silicon-based CBS antenna reported to date for
ready integration with active circuits. IME’s innovation will help realise a wireless
communication system with very small form factor and almost two-thirds cheaper than a
conventional CBS antenna. The antenna, in combination with other millimetre-wave building
blocks, can support wireless speed of 20 Gbps – more than 200 times faster than present
day Wi-Fi
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, to allow ultra fast point-to-point access to rich media content, relevant to online
learning and entertainment.
On the research breakthrough, Dr Hu Sanming, a key researcher from IME leading the
antenna project, said, “The novel use of polymer filling enables >70% antenna size
shrinkage and a record high gain of 5.68 dBi at 135 GHz. By filling the antenna cavity with
polymer instead of air, we can achieve a flat surface for subsequent processing by standard
technology that is amenable to mass production.”
“The team has also designed a three-dimensional (3D) architecture to integrate the antenna
with active circuits to form a fully integrated wireless millimetre-wave system-in-package
solution with high performance, reduced footprint and low electromagnetic interference,”

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Wi‐Fi technology for wireless communication based on newest IEEE standard 802.11 n that can support data rates of
more than 100 Mbps. 2
commented Dr Je Minkyu, Principal Investigator of the Integrated Circuits and Systems
Laboratory at IME.
Professor Dim-Lee Kwong, Executive Director of IME, said, “IME’s silicon-based 135 GHz
integrative antenna technology and the proposed 3D architecture have immense
commercial potential as it combines form with function that can be realised with standard
mass production infrastructure. These salient features make our technology extremely
attractive to product developers who are looking to capture emerging markets in millimetrewave applications.”
About the Institute of Microelectronics (IME)
The Institute of Microelectronics (IME) is a research institute of the Science and
Engineering Research Council of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research
(A*STAR). Positioned to bridge the R&D between academia and industry, IME's mission is
to add value to Singapore's semiconductor industry by developing strategic competencies,
innovative technologies and intellectual property; enabling enterprises to be technologically
competitive; and cultivating a technology talent pool to inject new knowledge to the industry.
Its key research areas are in integrated circuits design, advanced packaging, bioelectronics
and medical devices, MEMS, nanoelectronics, and photonics. For more information, visit
IME on the Internet: http://www.ime.a-star.edu.sg.
About the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is the lead agency for
fostering world-class scientific research and talent for a vibrant knowledge-based and
innovation-driven Singapore. A*STAR oversees 14 biomedical sciences, and physical
sciences and engineering research institutes, and seven consortia & centre, which are
located in Biopolis and Fusionopolis, as well as their immediate vicinity. A*STAR supports
Singapore's key economic clusters by providing intellectual, human and industrial capital to
its partners in industry. It also supports extramural research in the universities, hospitals,
research centres, and with other local and international partners.