The hottest engineers are working hard to develop

Engineers are working hard to develop smaller and more efficient RF Transformers. The future of electronic equipment depends on "IOT" to a certain extent. IOT refers to the devices, vehicles and equipment networks embedded in electronic devices to realize connection and data exchange. The system applied by Illinois equipment is a typical force control system. Engineers at the university are helping to realize this future by minimizing the volume of a famous large component in the integrated circuit for wireless communication - the transformer

according to a paper published in the journal Nature electronics, which introduces its design and performance in detail, the space occupied by the three-dimensional rolled up RF transformer is 10 to 100 times less. When the power transmission ratio increases, the performance is better, and the manufacturing process is simpler than that of two-dimensional similar products

"transformer is one of the largest and heaviest components on any circuit board," said lixiuling, chief researcher and professor of electronic and computer engineering. "When you pick up an LED bulb, its volume makes you feel very heavy, in part because the transformer inside is too large. The size of these transformers may become a key obstacle to wireless communication and IOT in the future."

transformers use coils to convert input signals into specific output signals for devices such as microchips. Previous researchers have developed some RF Transformers that use stacked conductive materials to solve space problems, but these have limited performance potential. This limited performance is due to the low efficiency of magnetic coupling between coils. When they have a high turn ratio, it means that the primary coil is much longer than the secondary coil, and vice versa, Li said. These stacked transformers need to be made of special materials, which are difficult to manufacture, large in volume and not easy to bend - these are not ideal materials for IOT equipment

the technology used in the new transformer design, the rolled negative electrode previously developed by Li's team is basically graphite based inductor. "We are using 2D technology to make 3D structures," Li said. The research team deposited the elaborate wire on the stretched two-dimensional film. Once they release the tension, the two-dimensional film will automatically roll into tiny tubes, so that the primary and secondary wires can be perfectly wound and nested together to form a smaller area to achieve the best magnetic induction and coupling

Li said that the nested 3D structure leads to high turn ratio coils. "High turn ratio transformers can be used as impedance transformers to improve the sensitivity of very low power receivers, which is expected to become a key factor in the wireless front-end of IOT," said gongsongbin, Professor of electrical and computer engineering and co-author of the paper

rolling transformer can also receive and process higher frequency signals than large equipment

"in the future, wireless communication will be faster, and higher frequency elimination methods will be used: check whether the pilot light of the experimental motor is turned on; check whether it is online after 10s of restart; the signal of. At present, the RF transformer produced can no longer meet the requirements of miniaturization and high-frequency operation in the future. "Customers often ask: how much is your hydraulic testing machine? This is a question. Transformers with more numbers can better receive faster and higher frequency wireless signals, and achieve high-level integration in IOT applications."

the new transformer has a powerful manufacturing process - stable over standard casting temperatures and materials compatible with industry standards. This study used gold wire, but the team has successfully demonstrated that their rolling equipment uses industry standard copper

"the next step will be to use thinner, more conductive metals, such as graphene, to make these devices smaller and more flexible." The progress of this technology may make it possible for this device to be woven into the fabric of high-tech wearable devices. "