Two Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency researchers have created nanoscale radio frequency electronic switches with reconfigurable features.Qiangfei Xia and Joseph Bardin, both assistant professors at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and recipients of DARPA’s Young Faculty Award program, developed the RF switches based on the memristor technology, DARPA said Thursday.
Bardin worked on the RF integrated circuits and Xia on the design and fabrication of nanoscale memristor devices.
“The nanoscale dimensions of these switches, their performance, and the relative simplicity with which they can be integrated into existing chip technology bodes well for inclusion in a new generation of reconfigurable RF chips,†said William Chappell, Microsystems Technology Office director.
“These can change from one type of radio to a completely different type without changing the hardware,†Chappell added.
DARPA said the switches are applicable to computers, memory devices and RF chips.
