University of Surrey

is a university in the South of England, close to London. About 16.000 students study a large variety of subjects here. The research within the FutureCom project is performed within the Advanced Technology Institute, in particular with the Nonlinear Microwave Measurements and Modelling Laboratories (n3m-labs).

The n3m-labs are a national resource and were the first of their kind in the world to enable the complete characterisation of microwave and millimetre-wave devices, circuits, sub-systems and systems. These include:

  • On-wafer S-parameter measurement
  • Pulsed-IV
  • On-wafer and fixture-based high-power active/passive load-pull
  • Nonlinear vector network analyser (NVNA) measurements.

Multi-physics characterisation using high-frequency electro-optic field probing and advanced thermal reflectance measurement techniques allow dynamic high-frequency electric fields and temperature gradients to be captured simultaneously during device operation.

Extensive cluster computing resources and software allow n3m-labs to study the details of the coupling between the semiconductor device, temperature, and electric fields that can limit the performance of a high-power microwave transistor.

The labs offer core capability comprising comprehensive nonlinear microwave network analysis and on-wafer probing systems for planar micro- and nano-electronic circuits and components.

https://www.surrey.ac.uk/advanced-technology-institute/facilities/nonlinear-microwave-measurements-and-modelling-laboratories

Dr. Koen Buisman
e-mail :  k.buisman@surrey.ac.uk 

Koen Buisman received the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in microelectronics from the Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands, in 2004 and 2011, respectively. From 2004 to 2014, he was with the Delft Institute of Microsystems and Nanoelectronics, Delft University of Technology. In 2014, he joined the Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden, where he is currently an Affiliated Associate Professor with the Microwave Electronics Laboratory, Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience. In 2020, he joined the University of Surrey, Guildford, U.K., where he is currently a Reader in microwave semiconductor devices. He is also the Director of the Nonlinear Microwave Measurement and Modeling Laboratories, a joint University of Surrey/National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, U.K. His current research interests include nonlinear device characterization, technology optimization, and design of linear wireless systems.

Mr. Richard Bannister
Richard Bannister graduated from the University of Surrey with an M.Eng. degree in Electronic Engineering in 2021. In October 2021, he remained at the University of Surrey to begin his Ph.D. in the Advanced Technology Institute, whilst in collaboration with National Physical Laboratory. His main current research interest is in the optimization of power amplifiers through characterization at a transistor level.