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Developing the measurement capability for future communication networks in Europe

The project

European manufacturers of telecommunications equipment, telecom operators, and regulators face ever-increasing customer demands in terms of higher data rates and more efficient energy consumption. Higher data rates translate to energy consumption as well as higher frequencies for amplifiers, integrated circuits, and printed circuit boards. The widespread implementation of future communications such as 5th generation (5G) and connected autonomous vehicles presents challenges for the technology as electronic radio frequency (RF) components, circuits, subsystems, and systems must be characterised and demonstrate good performance in ‘real world’ operating conditions.

Until the work of completed EMPIR project RF Measurements for future communications applications (20IND03, FutureCom) European National Measurement Institutes lacked the capacity to carry out the RF measurements necessary to fully support the latest developments in the communications sector.

The project addressed this issue by developing measurement capabilities that enable devices and systems to be electrically tested under realistic end-user operating conditions, including sometimes harsh environmental surroundings.

Good practice guides and other dissemination

The scientific outputs from the research in this project was disseminated by numerous ways, which included two good practice guides:

• The Good Practice Guide for characterising active devices and circuits operating under non-50 Ω loading conditions and for large-signal measurement systems up to 220 GHz
• Good Practice Guide for reliable PIM measurement of RF electrical signals used in communication systems

Guidelines for designing circuits with optimal signal integrity (SI) and power integrity (PI) were also reported, which have the potential to bring economic benefits through cost efficiency, productivity gains and market competitiveness. They contribute to positive social impacts ensuring reliability, safety, and improved user experiences and also enhance connectivity, making advanced technology more accessible to a wider range of users. Also, a new measurement system was developed for PIM measurement using a single amplifier instead of two amplifiers which reduces the power consumption. From an environmental perspective, these guidelines support energy efficiency and contribute to the reduction of electronic waste, aligning with broader sustainability goals.

The scientific research in this project has delivered significant achievements in several metrology areas for telecommunications. The main outcomes from the project include a large number of published papers in scientific journals and conferences, three metrological workshops, two of them held with international conferences, two training courses provided to academics and industries, metrological discussions on multimedia platforms, significant contributions to technical committees and international standards, and a number of industrial collaborations – such as characterising GaN power transistors for leading semiconductor foundries resulting in higher efficient communication front-end systems. The research in this project was driven by the current real-world challenges faced by the communications industry and have a significant impact on end users in the European industry. The outputs from the project enable industry to demonstrate the performance of high-frequency electronic products operating in end-user conditions. This is using measurements and tests that are backed-up by the European NMIs that also maintain the primary national reference standards for these measurement quantities - such as reflection, transmission and power.

These new capabilities will strengthen Europe’s positions in the communication and electronics sectors. Reduced overall energy consumption will also help attain the climate neutral goal by 2050.

Project coordinator Dilbagh Singh from NPL said

‘The FutureCom project has successfully contributed to development of measurement systems which include characterisation of electronic devices to 200 GHz, new probing solutions, producing power and signal integrity guidelines based on measurements, providing measurements-based results on electrical circuits over a wide range of temperature and humidity conditions and PIM measurements characterisation of connectors and standards.  Furthermore, the work in the project has resulted in a number of scientific publications and had impact on the industry by publishing two Good Practice Guides and a number of workshops and training courses’.

This EMPIR project is co-funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and the EMPIR Participating States.

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