Wireless communications, together with its applications and underlying teChnologies, is
among today’s most active areas of technology development. The very rapid pace of im-
provements in both custom and programmable integrated circuits for signal processing ap-
plications has led to the justfiable view of advanced signal processing as a key enabler of the
aggressively escalating capacity demands of emerging wireless systems. Consequently, there
has been a tremendous and very widespread effort on the part of the research community
to develop novel signal processing techniques that can fulfill this promise.
This chapter provides extensive coverage of existing mobile wireless teChnologies. Much of the
emphasis is on the highly anticipated 3G cellular networks and widely deployed wireless local
area networks (LANs), as the next-generation smart phones are likely to offer at least these two
types of connectivity. Other wireless teChnologies that either have already been commercialized or
are undergoing active research and standardization are introduced as well. Because standardization
plays a crucial role in developing a new technology and a market, throughout the discussion
standards organizations and industry forums or consortiums of some teChnologies are introduced.
In addition, the last section of this chapter presents a list of standards in the wireless arena.
Welcome to the third volume of the book entitled teChnologies for the Wireless Future, which
is produced by WWRF. The idea is to take the most important outputs from the working
groups and special-interest groups that compose the Forum and bring them together in a series
of one-volume surveys. The latest of these will give the reader a good overview of the WWRF
approach to analyzing the future of wireless and mobile communications, as well as an insight
into the trends themselves and the key teChnologies that will be deployed.
The wide deployment of wireless networks and mobile teChnologies, along with the
significant increase in the number of mobile device users, have created a very strong
demand on various wireless-based, mobile-based software application systems and
enabling teChnologies. This not only provides many new business opportunities and
challenges to wireless and networking service providers, mobile technology ven-
dors, and software industry and solution integrators, butalso changes and enhances
people’s lives in many areas, including communications, information sharing and
exchange, commerce, home environment, education, and entertainment. Business
organizations and government agencies face new pressure fortechnology updatesto
upgrade their networking infrastructures with wireless connectivity to enhance
enterprise-oriented systems and solutions.
In a world where consumers,businesses and organizations are demanding faster,amerter and more seamlessly converged information technology and communization services,concepts such as Driverless Cars,combining advanced automatic controls,artficial intelligences and automotive transport teChnologies are soon expected to become a commercial realty.At the same time,new blueprints such as industrial internet and industry 4.0 are driving the increased digitization of entire industries and economic sectors,boosting efficiencies and productivity.
In the seven years since the first edition of this book was completed, Electrostatic
Discharge (ESD) phenomena in integrated circuits (IC) continues to be important
as teChnologies shrink and the speed and size of the chips increases. The phenom-
ena related to ESD events in semiconductor devices take place outside the realm of
normal device operation. Hence, the physics governing this behavior are not typ-
ically found in general textbooks on semiconductors.
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) events can have serious detrimental
effects on the manufacture and performance of microelectronic devices,
the systems that contain them, and the manufacturing facilities used to
produce them. Submicron device teChnologies, high system operating
speeds, and factory automation are making ESD control programs a
critical factor in the quality and reliability of ESD-sensitive products.
As we enter the next millennium, there are clear technological patterns. First, the
electronic industry continues to scale microelectronic structures to achieve faster
devices, new devices, or more per unit area. Secondly, electrostatic charge, electrostatic
discharge (ESD), electrical overstress (EOS) and electromagnetic emissions (EMI)
continue to be a threat to these scaled structures. This dichotomy presents a dilemma
for the scaling of semiconductor teChnologies and a future threat to new teChnologies.
Technological advancements, material changes, design techniques, and simulation can
fend off this growing concern – but to maintain this ever-threatening challenge, one must
continue to establish research and education in this issue.
Applications of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and microfabrica-
tion have spread to different fields of engineering and science in recent years.
Perhaps the most exciting development in the application of MEMS technol-
ogy has occurred in the biological and biomedical areas. In addition to key
fluidic components, such as microvalves, pumps, and all kinds of novel
sensors that can be used for biological and biomedical analysis and mea-
surements, many other types of so-called micro total analysis systems (TAS)
have been developed.
The mature CMOS fabrication processes are available
in many IC foundries. It is cost-effective to leverage the
existing CMOS fabrication teChnologies to implement
MEMS devices. On the other hand, the MEMS devices
could also add values to the IC industry as the Moore’s law
reaching its limit. The CMOS MEMS could play a key role
to bridge the gap between the CMOS and MEMS
teChnologies. The CMOS MEMS also offers the advantage
of monolithic integration of ICs and micro mechanical
components.
