Energy Efficient, Non-Silicon Digital Signal Processing (DSP)

Superconductor digital circuits, operating at very high clock speed, can directly process wideband digitized radio frequency (RF) signals. By integrating such digital processing circuitry together with superconductor analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), we propose to develop the next generation digital-RF receivers. Leveraging the recent development of multiple superconductor ADCs on the same chip and supported by fast digital data links to room-temperature processors, we propose new digital circuitry enabling digital true-time-delay beamforming. In Phase I, designed digital signal processing (DSP) circuitry, combined with multiple ADCs on a new integrated circuit (IC), and released it for fabrication. In Phase II, we intend to expand on this to develop the most complex single flux quantum (SFQ) digital circuitry ever demonstrated on a single superconductor integrated circuit. Optional extensions to multi-chip modules are proposed.