Project-1: Development of Microprocessor for Wireless Sensor Network Application

This research is aimed to design the microcontroller unit for the WSN. The proposed research will also serve as a guide for developing microcontrollers and microprocessors. 

The first year of the project focuses on the development of the microcontroller using Verilog HDL language. The microcontroller was designed to take functions only needed by the WSN. Peripherals such as UART, SPI, I2C and GPIO were also designed, RTL-coded, and integrated to the core. Each of this module including the core was synthesized and simulated using Synopsys DC Tool. The design was also implemented and tested in an Altera DE-1 FPGA development board. 

During the second year, the physical layout of the synthesized RTL modules are fabricated using 65nm CMOS standard cells. Before fabrication, timing is checked using the STA (Static Timing Analysis) tool in Synopsys called PrimeTime and errors in synthesis and layout are addressed to ensure that the fabricated chip works according to its functionality. 

During the third and last year of the program, the microcontroller design output of this project will be integrated with Projects 2 and Project 3, which are concerned with the power and energy requirements of the chip. The final output of the whole program will be delivered as a low voltage, low power single chip solution for WSN applications 

Project-2: Power Management Unit using Low Drop- out Regulator and DC-DC Converters 

The focus of Project 2 is all about the power management unit integrated circuit(IC) in an on-chip solution that will be comprised of an LDO and a boost converter.  Power management integrated circuits (ICs) are critical building blocks in state-of-the-art portable applications, where they efficiently and accurately transform a battery supply into various regulated voltages, as required by their loads. 

Project-3: Design of Indoor Light Energy Harvesting for Wireless Sensor Network Applications

In this phase, the main goal is to consolidate the designs developed in Project 1 and Project 2 into a single integrated circuit (IC). The primary objective of this integration is to create an efficient indoor energy harvesting circuit tailored specifically for wireless sensor node applications. By merging the insights and innovations from both projects, we aim to enhance the functionality and performance of the energy harvesting system, ensuring that it optimally powers wireless sensor nodes in indoor environments. This unified IC design will serve as a pivotal component in advancing the capabilities of wireless sensor networks, offering improved sustainability and reliability in various indoor applications.

Relevant Links:

IIT’s Microelectronics Lab receives 34 million-peso research grants from DOST and CHED (msuiit.edu.ph) 

S&T executive expects Mindanao to become an electronics powerhouse (mb.com.ph) 

Mindanao gears up as PHL electronics powerhouse | BusinessMirror