Prof. Leung’s lab aims to apply cutting-edge circuit (RF/ mixed-signal/ analog) techniques for emerging biomedical and military applications. While the research projects are dynamic and constantly evolving, here is a list of the funded research programs:
Distributed Wireless Brain Implants:
Multichannel electrophysiological sensors and simulators are usually based on monolithic microelectrode arrays. However, the architecture of such arrays limits flexibility in electrode placement and scaling to a large number of nodes, especially across non-contiguous locations. We research wirelessly networked and powered electronic microchips that can autonomously perform neural sensing and electrical micro-stimulation.
(DARPA NESD, in collaboration with Brown University)
Analog ICs for a Novel TWTT (Two-Way Time Transfer) System
The goal of TIDAL (Tiny Full Duplex Distributed Phase Alignment) is to demonstrate the feasibility of a novel analog approach to wirelessly distribute TWTT 10ps (supporting Ka band phase coherence) level timing and phase reference enabling coherent signal processing across distributed platforms that fundamentally alters the scaling of size, weight, power, and cost of distributed RF military systems.
(DARPA SBIR Phase II subcontract, in collaboration with Ziva Corporation, San Diego CA)
Ultra-low-power radio for IoT applications
The goal of this work is to explore fundamental communication and sensing technologies to transform the ordinary physical world into a connected, intelligent Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem. This project researches technology for ultra-thin paper-like communication tags, composed of a mm-scale radio chip along with power harvesting unit, printable flexible antennas, and printable energy storage unit. The tag, referred to as Networked Smart Paper (NSP), can potentially be woven into clothes or attached on plain objects, thus encompassing humans or things into the IoT.
(NSF CNS Core: Medium, in collaboration with UCSD)
Optoelectronics for LiDAR sensors
The proposed project aims at developing a high-performance, compact, and light-weight 3D LiDAR sensor to meet the increasing needs of drone-based, high-precision LiDAR applications. Current commercial high-performance drone-LiDAR systems are notorious for their high cost, bulkiness, heavy weight, and high power-consumption. The proposed LiDAR sensor will mitigate these issues by leveraging a high-performance coherent LiDAR detection approach with silicon photonics technology in an innovative design. Based on highly scalable Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible silicon photonics technology, the LiDAR sensor is able to achieve high spatial resolution in a compact size.
(NSF SBIR Phase II subcontract, in collaboration with OAM Photonics LLC, Albuquerque NM)
Research funding provided by:
