EPIC - Energy Processing and Integrated Circuits

 

Eficiència energètica en computació, comunicació i infraestructures (xarxes de sensors, processadors multi-nucli, constel·lacions de satèl·lits petits, xarxes de distribució energètica), mitjançant arquitectures, circuits i dispositius de gestió d'energia, des de circuits integrats de gestió d'energia, captació d'energia i transferència sense fil d'energia, passant per models i control de sistemes de conversió eficient de potència, fins a sistemes d'energia renovables i microxarxes.

Our research activity has hitherto been focused on energy processing and integrated circuits, encompassing CMOS technologies for future-generation multicore processors and RF transmitters, as well as new devices for exploring ultimate energy density limits. These activities have been driven by ultra-low-power battery-operated devices that are now migrating into energy-harvesting-enabled wireless sensor networks and pushing down scalability limits through the concurrence of new devices (More than Moore, gallium nitride or GaN and graphene), circuit and system perspectives with the aim of a transversal impact to various applications, namely, downscaled portable terminals and distributed sensors for wireless monitoring and practically all applications within the integrated systems and circuits area. New challenges include wireless networks-on-chip for next-generation many-core processors for high-performance computing, nano-satellite swarms, wireless energy transfer and smart grids.

Our research activity has hitherto been focused on energy processing and integrated circuits, encompassing CMOS technologies for future-generation multicore processors and RF transmitters, as well as new devices for exploring ultimate energy density limits. These activities have been driven by ultra-low-power battery-operated devices that are now migrating into energy-harvesting-enabled wireless sensor networks and pushing down scalability limits through the concurrence of new devices (More than Moore, gallium nitride or GaN and graphene), circuit and system perspectives with the aim of a transversal impact to various applications, namely, downscaled portable terminals and distributed sensors for wireless monitoring and practically all applications within the integrated systems and circuits area. New challenges include wireless networks-on-chip for next-generation many-core processors for high-performance computing, nano-satellite swarms, wireless energy transfer and smart grids.

Recent Submissions

  • Modified cascaded Z-source high step-up boost converter 

    Salehi, Navid; Martínez García, Herminio; Velasco Quesada, Guillermo (2020-11-17)
    Article
    Open Access
    To improve the voltage gain of step-up converters, the cascaded technique is considered as a possible solution in this paper. By considering the concept of cascading two Z-source networks in a conventional boost converter, ...

  • A comprehensive model for the design of a microgrid under regulatory constraints using synthetical data generation and stochastic optimization 

    Alonso Travesset, Alexandre; Hoz Casas, Jordi de la; Martín Cañadas, María Elena; Coronas Herrero, Sergio; Salas Prat, Josep Maria (Pep); Matas Alcalá, José (2020-10-26)
    Article
    Open Access
    As renewable energy installation costs decrease and environmentally-friendly policies are progressively applied in many countries, distributed generation has emerged as the new archetype of energy generation and distribution. ...

  • Caracterització energètica de microxarxes. Primera part: Conceptes bàsics 

    Piqué López, Robert; Puig Casteràs, Joan; Bargalló Perpiñá, Ramón; Casellas Beneyto, Francisco (2020-11-11)
    External research report
    Restricted access - author's decision

  • Caracterització energètica de microxarxes. Segona part: Caracterització energètica de microxarxes 

    Piqué López, Robert; Puig Casteràs, Joan; Bargalló Perpiñá, Ramón; Casellas Beneyto, Francisco (2020-11-11)
    External research report
    Restricted access - author's decision

  • Caracterització energètica de microxarxes. Tercera part: Resum del mètode de caracterització i determinació algorísmica del sistema de gestió d'energia 

    Piqué López, Robert; Bargalló Perpiñá, Ramón; Casellas Beneyto, Francisco (2020-11-11)
    External research report
    Restricted access - author's decision

  • Proximate time-optimal digital control for synchronous buck DC-DC converters 

    Yousefzadeh, Vahid; Babazadeh, Amir; Ramachandran, Bhaskar; Alarcón Cot, Eduardo José; Pao, Lucy; Maksimovic, Eduard Alarcón And Dragan (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), 2007-07)
    Article
    Restricted access - publisher's policy
    This paper introduces an approach to near time-optimal control for synchronous buck dc-dc converters. The proposed proximate time-optimal digital (PTOD) controller is a combination of a constant-frequency pulsewidth ...

  • Radiation characteristics of tunable graphennas in the terahertz band 

    Llatser Martí, Ignacio; Kremers, Christian; Chigrin, Dmitry N.; Jornet Montaña, Josep Miquel; Lemme, Max C.; Cabellos Aparicio, Alberto; Alarcón Cot, Eduardo José (2012-12)
    Article
    Open Access
    Graphene-enabled wireless communications constitute a novel paradigm which has been proposed to implement wireless communications among nanosystems. Indeed, graphene-based plasmonic nano-antennas, or graphennas, just a few ...

  • Graphene-based nano-patch antenna for terahertz radiation 

    Llatser Martí, Ignacio; Kremers, Christian; Cabellos Aparicio, Alberto; Jornet Montaña, Josep Miquel; Alarcón Cot, Eduardo José; Chigrin, Dmitry N. (Elsevier, 2012-10)
    Article
    Restricted access - publisher's policy
    The scattering of terahertz radiation on a graphene-based nano-patch antenna is numerically analyzed. The extinction cross section of the nano-antenna supported by silicon and silicon dioxide substrates of different thickness ...

  • Mixed integration of CDIO skills into telecommunication engineering curricula 

    Sayrol Clols, Elisa; Bragós Bardia, Ramon; Alarcón Cot, Eduardo José; Cabrera-Bean, Margarita; Calveras Augé, Anna M.; Comellas Colomé, Jaume; O'Callaghan Castellà, Juan Manuel; Pegueroles Vallés, Josep R.; Pla, Enrique; Prat Viñas, Lluís; Sáez Moreno, Germán; Sardà Ferrer, Joan; Tallon Montoro, Carme (2010)
    Article
    Open Access
    Spain has been intensively involved in designing engineering curricula for the last two years and next academic year all engineering schools will be deploying all bachelor programs adapted to the EHEA and to the Spanish ...

  • Dynamic modeling of tunable analog integrated filters for a stability study of on-chip automatic tuning loops 

    Martínez García, Herminio; Vidal López, Eva María; Alarcón Cot, Eduardo José; Poveda López, Alberto (2009-12)
    Article
    Restricted access - publisher's policy
    Continuous-time filters with automatic tuning loops are nonlinear feedback systems that are potentially unstable. To ensure stability, particularly if the design of the loop controllers is to be improved, the appropriate ...

  • Self-controlled 4-transistor low-power min-max current selector 

    Madrenas Boadas, Jordi; Fernández Martínez, Daniel; Cosp Vilella, Jordi; Martínez Alvarado, Luis Arturo; Alarcón Cot, Eduardo José; Vidal López, Eva María; Villar Piqué, Gerard (2009-10)
    Article
    Restricted access - publisher's policy
    Four cross-coupled MOS transistors operating as switches implement a very compact, fast, low-power and precise minimum and maximum current selector. Local positive feedback allows the circuit to work without the need of ...

  • ECCTD 2007 special issue 'bridging technology innovations to foundations 

    Delgado Restituto, Manuel; Alarcón Cot, Eduardo José; Rodríguez Vázquez, Ángel Benito (John Wiley & sons, 2008-08)
    Article
    Open Access

View more