Applications are invited for a PhD scholarship at Stokes Laboratories, Bernal Institute, University of Limerick (UL) under the supervision of Dr Vanessa Egan and Prof Jeff Punch and in collaboration with Dr. John Dooley at Maynooth University (MU).
The scholarship is fully funded by the SFI CONNECT Centre and will cover annual registration fees, and an annual stipend of €18,500 for the PhD student for a period of up to four years. UL is the only Irish University to be awarded a 5-star rating in 2021 from QS Star rating system and CONNECT is the world leading SFI Research centre for Future Networks and Communications.
Thermal Co-design and Management Strategies for mmWave Wireless Hardware
One of the main challenges for 5G and future network infrastructure is thermal management. Macro- micro- and pico- cell base stations contain densely packed electronic components that dissipate large amounts of heat. This gives rise to two main concerns: thermal segregation and isothermalisation. In electronics, thermal segregation occurs when various components within a system operate at different temperatures thus giving rise to discrete temperature jumps/drops across a PCB. Similarly, isothermalisation also refers to an unequal temperature distribution across a system but more specifically for 5G it is related to temperature gradients in a particular direction. In order to achieve these challenges an integrated approach to mmWave wireless system hardware design is required where thermal management is considered at the design stage. A collaboration between the University of Limerick (UL) and Maynooth University (MU) will combine expertise in thermal management (UL) and mmWave System Design (MU) for a cohesive approach. The proposed project will consist of; firstly a benchmark study to define the relationship between component performance and temperature and secondly a study on the use of two-phase solutions to reduce thermal segregation and increase isothermality. Cooling solutions using heat pipes and vapour chambers can be used to address the issues of thermal segregation and isothermality. These devices are passive, low profile and employ a phase change to transport heat thus eliminating any extra power requirements but also offering high heat transfer rates. As active cooling solutions are generally not favoured due to reliability and maintainability issues, vapour chambers are unobtrusive cooling solutions for ‘isothermalisation’ issues in base stations.
The successful candidate will join the CONNECT Centre, and be based at the Stokes Laboratories, Bernal Institute, UL. CONNECT brings together world-class expertise from ten Irish academic institution s and over 40 companies including large multinationals, SMEs and start-ups, while the Bernal Institute hosts a multidisciplinary team of world-leading materials scientists and engineers whose mission is to develop disruptive technologies related to health, energy and environment.