Francesco earned his master's degree in electronics engineering at the University of Naples, Italy. To complete his master's studies, he undertook a research internship at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. He then pursued a Ph.D. at the University of Rennes, in France, during which he conducted part of his research at the University of Michigan, in the United States. Francesco joined CEA-Leti in 2017, where he investigates and develops innovative antenna and electromagnetic systems for next-generation telecommunications.
The award-winning research aims to decrease the power consumption of high-directivity antenna modules for ultra-fast communications at frequencies above 100 GHz. The proposed architecture reduces the number and complexity of radio frequency (RF) active circuits compared to state-of-the-art systems, while enhancing energy efficiency.
Unlike conventional solutions, the proposed transmitter module generates multiple signals across adjacent frequency bands (channels). This technique alleviates the constraints on the circuit design and greatly improves the overall system energy efficiency. A planar lens - also known as metasurface antenna - was optimized to aggregate all signals and radiate them in the desired direction. Thanks to its robustness to manufacturing tolerances, the antenna could be fabricated using a low-cost printed circuit board technology.
Experimental results aligned closely with numerical simulations, confirming the effectiveness of the antenna architecture in combining the signals emitted by the transmitter in free space with minimal loss. The measured radiated power of the transmitter and the transmission data rate demonstrated in a link using a similar receiver system outperform the state of the art. This novel architecture, which combines a metasurface lens with a multi-channel integrated circuit driving the primary antenna sources, paves the way for achieving even higher data rates, while ensuring the flexibility and sustainability required in future communications networks.
The proposed system addresses the growing demand for massive short- and intermediate-range data transmission capabilities, in particular in wireless data centers and ultra-dense mobile networks. Moreover, it could find applications in areas beyond telecommunications, such as radar systems or robot-assisted surgery.
“CEA-Leti is an ideal environment for researching and developing novel advanced RF systems. We can achieve cutting-edge innovation working in multidisciplinary teams and using state-of-the-art facilities."
Looking ahead, Francesco aims to achieve even higher data rates using an optimized architecture that operates across wider frequency ranges while maintaining low power consumption. Another future goal is to enable the dynamic reconfiguration of the direction and/or shape of the radiated beam by integrating controllable electronic devices into the metasurface.