Wireless Communication in Multi-Agent Networked Nano- and Micro-Electromechanical Systems
Sergey Lyshevski*
Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University Indianapolis,
Indianapolis, IN 46202-5132 USA
This is an abstract
for a presentation given at the
Ninth
Foresight Conference on Molecular Nanotechnology.
There will be a link from here to the full article when it is
available on the web.
The need for development of cooperative multi-agent networked nano- and microelectromechanical systems encompasses the design of wireless communication nanodevices which must be devised, designed, analyzed, tested, and implemented. Among other requirements, imposed even on a single-node NEMS and MEMS, the following at least must be performed: actuation – sensing – communication. The size, compatibility, functionality, packaging, affordability, robustness, and power requirements impose great challenges on wireless communication technologies for NEMS and MEMS. As a result, radically new high-bandwidth paradigms must be devised, and high-performance nanodevices must be designed. Applications of wireless nanodevices also include a wireless network of nano- and microscale structures, devices (actuators and sensors), and system operating in different environments (free-space, contaminated, et cetera). In this paper we study the surface micromachined wavelength-tunable vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) to attain wireless optical communication for networked NEMS and MEMS. The researched VCSELs have attracted a great interest due to the following advantages: the propagation is perpendicular to the wafer surface, nanoscale dimensions (active region in the range of tens nanometers), low threshold current, high efficiency, small beam divergence, integration with other components, affordability (thousands VCSELs can be fabricated on a single wafer), reliability, etc. The AlGaAs (aluminum gallium arsenide) and GaAs (gallium arsenide) VCSELs have the emission wavelengths below 1 µm (typically 650, 780, 820 and 850 nm) and these lasers have demonstrated superior performance. In addition to these lasers VCSELs, the VCSELs with the emission wavelengths 1.3 µm and higher are very important. The indium gallium arsenide nitride (InGaAsN) VCSELs guarantee high-speed data and bandwidth, long distance capabilities, and silicon compatibility (silicon is transparent to 1.3 µm wavelength). The proposed solution offers terabit per second transmission data rate possibilities guaranteeing superior bandwidth. Innovative VCSELs with the suspended top mirror (deformable membrane suspended above the semiconductor) and variable airgap are discussed, modeled, and analyzed. The nonlinear Maxwell-Bloch equations, which integrate complex effects and phenomena, are used to model the VCSELs in the time domain. The results are reported and illustrated.
*Corresponding Address:
Sergey Lyshevski
Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University at Indianapolis
723 West Michigan Street, SL160, Indianapolis, IN 46202-5132 USA
phone: (317) 278-1960
fax: (317) 274-4493
email: [email protected]
http://www.engr.iupui.edu/~lyshevs/
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