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Communications Technology Laboratory

RF Technology Division

Projects/Programs

Displaying 1 - 25 of 26

Advanced Materials Metrology

Ongoing
Electromagnetic devices cannot operate without the interaction of electromagnetic waves with materials, and the characterization of the interface between fields and materials will be a critical task for any device or metrology development from nanoscale to larger scales. Areas of impact over the
The NIST millimeter-wave extrapolation range being prepared for antenna measurements.

Antenna Metrology Project

Ongoing
NIST CTL’s Antenna Metrology Project combines theoretical models, analytical tools, and custom-developed facilities to advance the field of antenna measurement and share those advances with industry, government, and academic users. Two generations ago, NIST pioneered the near-field scanning
NIST engineer Kate Remley led development of new 94 gigahertz calibrated signal source and 16-antenna array operating at 83 gigahertz

5G & Beyond

Ongoing
The realization of this long-term vision requires tackling key technical challenges to allow for greater temporal, spectral, coding and spatial resource efficiency. As well, these technologies all rely on high levels of electronic device integration, yielding a radical new connectorless measurement
On-wafer calibration kits

CalNet

Ongoing
Electronics engineers use on-wafer calibration die to calibrate measurement equipment before characterizing or modeling semiconductor devices. While NIST pioneered on-wafer calibrations in the 1990’s, most industrial labs use commercial ‘Impedance Standard Substrates’ (ISS) that are manufactured by
Keypoint and RF Channel Extraction

RF Channel Propagation Measurements and Models for Communications Circuits

Ongoing
The research community has long identified the need for propagation measurements to develop and evaluate communication circuits. Since 2011, NIST has been to prototyping state-of-the-art channel sounders for measuring RF channel propagation. NIST current channel sounders include LIDAR and camera
Field Parameter Metrology 2

Electromagnetic Field Strength Metrology

Ongoing
NIST calibrates electrically-small field probes from 10 megahertz – 40 gigahertz. These measurements are done in facilities that are periodically compared against other National Metrology Institutes in conjunction with the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM). This assures international
big 4K probe station

Flux Quantum Electronics

Ongoing
Quantum-Based Reference Sources The demand for wireless communications has exploded over the last 2 decades and there is no end in sight. The quest for higher bandwidth is driving the use of higher carrier frequencies in the microwave and millimeter-wave (>30 GHz) bands. However, there are no

Fundamental Guided Wave Metrology

Ongoing
The science of microwave measurements is expanding in many different directions. There is a constant push to use higher frequencies. Signals are becoming much more complex and include modulation effects, multiport/differential signals, complex waveforms, and other unusual signal schemes. On-wafer

Fundamental Metrology for Communications

Ongoing
Engineers designing the next generation of wireless applications and devices must work around the fundamental issue of radio interference. NIST CTL’s RF Technology High Speed Electronics group focuses on fundamental measurement and modeling of nonlinear microwave systems, devices and materials that
Diagram showing the electro-thermo-mechanical relations in a crystal

Genomics of Electronic Materials

Ongoing
We approach this multidimensional characterization problem by developing measurement-based techniques to rapidly quantify all of the relevant properties of thin-film materials, interfaces, and microelectronic structures. We make extensive use of finite-element simulations, as well as linear and non

High-Frequency Electronics

Ongoing
This project supports the metrology of advanced electronic circuits and systems through many activities centered around accurate measurements and characterizations, improving device models and designs, enabling traceability of complicated electronics systems, and incorporating advanced technologies
A close-up view of a circuit board shows a square with yellow dots surrounded by blue lines.

A measurement-based approach to 5G supply chain security

Ongoing
NIST is working with a multidisciplinary group of stakeholders to define both the cybersecurity standards for 5G and beyond hardware and to secure the supply chain through developing technology that can detect corrupted hardware before it is put in use.  For an overview of NIST cybersecurity and

Measuring Intermolecular Interactions with Electro-Acoustic Spectroscopy

Ongoing
We have a number of opportunities to collaborate with us. See below for details. What does this project aim to do for the chemical industry? Many industrial processes depend on the intermolecular environment- the solvents and ions that surround a molecule. These interactions impact separations
RF Metrology for High-Frequency Transistor Models Project Deliverables

RF Metrology for High-Frequency Transistor Models

Ongoing
Due to the challenges of high-frequency measurements, that includes inaccuracy in on-wafer calibration and a lack of instrumentation for transistor characterization, models are currently extracted from low frequency measurements and extrapolated to higher frequencies. This methodology has been shown

NextG Channel Measurement and Modeling

Ongoing
NextG Channel Measurement NIST has designed and assembled a number of mmWave channel sounders: from the first generation of electronically switched horn antenna arrays, moving to virtual phased-array, and most recently we are transitioning to real phased-array channel sounders. Several features make
Johnson Noise Thermometer system

Noise Thermometry

Completed
The project has also created a quantum-based electronic temperature standard that uses the ACJVS in conjunction with measurement of the Johnson noise -- random electrical noise caused by thermal agitation in a conductor -- in resistors at arbitrary temperatures. This Johnson noise thermometry system
10 V programmable Josephson voltage standard (PJVS) and (right) PJVS cryopackaged chip, which are disseminated by the NIST standard reference instrument (SRI) program.

Quantum Voltage Project

Ongoing
Researchers in the Quantum Voltage Project develop and disseminate highly accurate instruments that exploit the quantum mechanical properties of superconductive devices known as Josephson junctions (JJs), as well as measurement techniques and best-practices for using these instruments. When a JJ is
A glowing blue cylindrical rod has fibers coming out of either end.

Rydberg Atom-based Quantum RF Field Probes

Ongoing
Calibrated radio frequency (RF) electric field probes and antennas are currently limited by a complex, indirect traceability path and require a complex calibration – which presents a chicken-and-egg dilemma. Probes must be calibrated by placing them in a known electric field, while a precisely known

Waveform Metrology Project

Ongoing
Optical measurement techniques: NIST uses the electro-optic sampling (EOS) technique to measure the vector response of photodiodes and provide phase traceability for commercial instrumentation, such as large-signal network analyzers, lightwave component analyzers, vector signal analyzers

Wireless Coexistence

Ongoing
What is Wireless Coexistence? Wireless coexistence is the capability of multiple wireless devices and services in the same geographical area to access the same RF spectrum band simultaneously without causing harmful interference to each other. In other words, can they all operate successfully and