Antennas and Channel Characteristics for Wireless Networks on Chips

We review the current state of the art on antennas for use in wireless networks on chips (WiNoCs) and also provide results on wireless channel characteristics in the WiNoC setting—the latter are largely absent from the literature. We first describe the motivation for constructing these miniature networks, aimed at improving efficiency of future multi-processor integrated circuits. We then discuss the implications for antennas: in addition to the usual antenna parameters for communication links (gain, impedance match, pattern), this includes important structural and multiple-access considerations. After a review of the literature and a summary of published antenna characteristics and future challenges, we present example results for a representative structure to illustrate antenna performance and WiNoC channel characteristics.