Research

The world is going digital, and the Communications Devices and Applications Laboratory is helping to bring the revolution to receiver technology.

As a participant in the DARPA Digital Receiver Program, the CDA Group at the University of Maine is helping to realize the goal of implementing wide-bandwidth receivers while minimizing the analog hardware requirements. The dominant distortion source in all-digital receiver implementations is usually the analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The CDA group has established a unique test facility which is capable of characterizing high-speed (>1 Gsps) ADCs, and has established an international reputation in the modeling of these devices. Under the digital receiver program, algorithms and hardware architectures are being developed which attempt to remove the distortion caused by these devices.

As a result of the activity in the area of high-performance ADCs and DACs, the CDA group at the University of Maine has established a unique relationship with Texas Instruments. Since 1998, TI has supported the laboratory though gifts which have established a series of scholarships. TI students receive extensive training on ADC architectures and design issues for high performance data converters.

The CDA group is also involved in the development and implementation of real-time digital signal processing (DSP) algorithms for underwater acoustic applications. The work has been funded by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC). Many of the projects have been in support of the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Undersea Test And Evaluation Center (AUTEC), which is managed by NUWC. The CDA group has developed and implemented algorithms for the detection, identification, and communication with various undersea vehicles at AUTEC (and other) test ranges. The CDA laboratory maintains signal processing platforms which duplicate the signal-processing hardware available at the test ranges, allowing algorithms to be demonstrated in hardware.

More Information...

• Some time ago, the Maine Perspective published an article describing our work in ADC compensation for receiver applications.
• Publications
• MS Theses