NICT develops circuit technology that resolves issues with high-frequency piezoelectric resonators

Conceptual Schematic Diagram of the Application Effect of this Achievement

In collaboration with the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Associate Professor Hiroyuki Ito and Professor Kazuya Masu, et al., of the Tokyo Institute of Technology, developed a new algorithm and circuit technology allowing high-frequency piezoelectric resonators to be used for phase locked loops (PLL). It was confirmed that these operate with low noise and have an excellent Figure of Merit (FoM) compared to conventional PLLs.

This technology allows high-frequency piezoelectric resonators to be used in place of crystal oscillators which was a problem for realizing compact and low-cost radio modules. This greatly contributes to the creation of compact, low-cost, high-speed radio communication systems for the IoT age. High-frequency piezoelectric resonators are compact, can be integrated, have an excellent Q value, and oscillators that use these have excellent jitter performance. High-frequency piezoelectric resonators had greater issues with resonance frequency variance and temperature dependability compared to crystal resonators. However, these issues were resolved by the development of a PLL that uses a channel adjustment technique, which is a new algorithm.

A prototype was fabricated by a silicon CMOS process with a minimum line width of 65 nm, and a maximum frequency output of approximately 9 GHz was achieved with a phase fluctuation of only 180 femtoseconds. Power consumption was 12.7 mW. This performance is equivalent to a PLL Figure of Merit (FoM) of -244 dB, and it has the world's top-class performance as a fractional-N PLL. This can contribute to the realization of compact, low-cost, high-speed radio communication systems.

The study results will be announced in local time June 17 in "The 2016 Symposium on VLSI Circuits" to be held in Hawaii from June 14.

Photo of the Chip and Output Signal Spectrum

Phase Noise Measurement Results

Provided by: National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT)

Lawyer claims Essar tapped phones of top netas, tycoons

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A parliamentary panel on Thursday suggested that phones of MPs should be tapped by security agencies only after taking permission from presiding officers of the House concerned.

After the Niira Radia tapes, phone-tapping was back in the news with allegations of Essar Communications, owned by the Ruias, illegally monitoring phones of prominent politicians, corporate bigwigs - including Reliance group chairman Mukesh Ambani - and bankers between 2001 and 2006.

The allegations are contained in a petition submitted by Delhi-based lawyer Suren Uppal to the PMO, seeking a probe. Uppal claimed the chats revealed Reliance's efforts to influence BSNL's tariff plans and lobbying for late Pramod Mahajan's continuance in a particular portfolio. Essar denied the allegations.

Uppal's petition is based on information, including transcripts, provided by former Essar employee Basit Khan (misspelt by Uppal as Albasit) who claimed to have access to the recordings. Khan, by Uppal's own admission, is now missing after having initially contacted him. It is understood that the recordings are in Khan's possession. Khan met Uppal in February and dropped out of contact from April 24, according to the lawyer.

Essar denied the allegations. A statement said Uppal had concocted a completely false and baseless story to make extortionist demands and was looking to defame the group since his demands were not met. "Essar has never itself conducted or authorised any person, including Mr Basit Khan, to conduct any phone surveillance," it said.

Among those whose phones were allegedly tapped using "cell to cell" interception were RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani and his wife Tina, ADAG chairman Anil Ambani and RIL top executives, late BJP leader and then minister in the Vajpayee government Pramod Mahajan, Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh and several top bankers from SBI, IDBI and ICICI.

The petition's claim that the recordings revealed Essar trying to influence decisions of banks dealing with the company were denied by the firm's spokespersons. Executives claimed the company referred to in the petition, BPL Mobile, was not owned by Essar at the time. Essar acquired it in 2006 and so it had no access to the exchange in the time period under consideration.

While the petition and its claim of phones of highprofile businessmen being tapped heated political circles in Delhi, the government did not seem inclined to take any action.

Questions about the existence of the tapes or recordings have not been answered, sources said, while Khan, the original whistleblower, seems to have distanced himself from Uppal's claims.

WHO reform ,why reform

Why reform?

Three fundamental challenges drive the need for reform. First, WHO has found itself overcommitted and overextended. It was in need of selective and strategically focused priorities, which can best reflect the Organization’s comparative advantage and that can guide WHO’s response over the coming years. Secondly, WHO’s role in global health governance and relation to other actors in international health needs to be defined with greater clarity. Thirdly, when faced with new challenges and a rapidly changing environment, it is important for WHO to be able to respond with sufficient speed and agility.

By establishing clear priorities, combined with adopting better governance and management practices, WHO can better serve the global health community. Ultimately, reform enables WHO to more effectively fulfil its constitutional mandate as the “directing and coordinating authority on international health work”.

The reform process has three objectives:

• Improved health outcomes, with WHO meeting the expectations of its Member States and partners in addressing agreed global health priorities, focused on the actions and areas where the Organization has a unique function or comparative advantage, and financed in a way that facilitates this focus.
• Greater coherence in global health, with WHO playing a leading role in enabling the many different actors to play an active and effective role in contributing to the health of all peoples.
• An Organization that pursues excellence, one that is effective, efficient, responsive, objective, transparent and accountable