I-Corps: Translation Potential of Technology that Suppresses Harmful Interference in Electromagnetic Devices

This I-Corps project is based on the development of compact, tunable radio-frequency components that help wireless systems transmit and receive at the same time on the same frequency. Demand for wireless capacity creates interference and spectrum-congestion challenges across communications, sensing, transportation, space, and public-safety systems. This technology improves how radios suppress their own transmitted signals before those signals overwhelm sensitive receivers. Users of the technology include manufacturers and integrators of advanced radios, phased-array antennas, satellite terminals, radar, electronic-warfare systems, and future wireless infrastructure. This may improve wireless throughput, range, sensing performance, and resilience while reducing system complexity and power demands. In addition, it may support more efficient use of limited spectrum. This I-Corps project utilizes experiential learning coupled with first-hand investigation of the industry ecosystem to assess the translation potential of tunable active radio frequency (RF) circulators for in-band full-duplex and simultaneous transmit-and-receive radio front ends. Conventional ferrite circulators and passive isolation components face major limitations including large physical size, narrow operational bandwidth, and incompatibility with modern semiconductor chip manufacturing. This technology combines semiconductor-compatible active circulator architectures with tunable reactive loads to provide analog self-interference suppression under impedance mismatch, changing frequency, and phased-array beam scanning. The approach is designed for chip integration and can provide forward-path gain rather than insertion loss. Prior research demonstrated isolation recovery through reactive-load tuning with an expected 10–30 dB improvement in front-end isolation and potential improvement in receiver dynamic range. Compact RF front-end modules may improve sensitivity, throughput, radar range, and signal quality in interference-limited systems. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.