In-situ Monitoring of RF Power Amplifier Circuits Aging for Eco-design and Extended Lifetime
The semiconductor industry, and more specifically the radio-frequency (RF) circuit sector, is facing critical challenges related to eco-design and eco-innovation. These challenges include the need to extend the lifetime of circuits while meeting the growing demands of emerging markets such as 5G and the future 6G. Among these circuits, power amplifiers (PA) play a central role, being both critical components in terms of energy efficiency and key targets for improving robustness against aging and enabling potential reuse.
In this context, in-situ aging monitoring of PAs appears to be a promising approach for developing innovative and sustainable solutions. This research topic is therefore fully aligned with eco-design strategies, leveraging advanced technological platforms such as current and future CMOS SOI technologies, while integrating industrial constraints through existing strategic collaborations with major partners of CEA Leti.
This thesis aims to design an innovative in-situ monitoring solution to evaluate and compensate for the aging of power amplifiers, thereby extending their lifetime through reuse and self-correction strategies. To achieve this, it will rely on methodologies and circuits specifically adapted to practical use cases. The ambition is thus to develop a new generation of robust and durable circuits, integrating intelligent aging management mechanisms. By adopting an eco-design approach, this work aims to address environmental challenges while enhancing the industrial competitiveness of CMOS SOI technologies.
Attacker model validation for laser-based attacks on integrated circuits
The security of embedded systems is nowadays a fundamental issue in many domains: IoT, Automotive, Aeronautics, among others. The physical attacks are a specific threat assuming a physical access to the target. In particular, fault injection attacks on the integrated circuits (IC) allows to disturb the system in order to retrieve secret material or to achieve a special goal such as by passing secure boot to execute malicious code. Due to their powerful capacities to defeat system security, developers must protect their system against such attack to be compliant with security standards such as Common Criteria and FIPS.
Within the context of continuous downscaling of silicon technologies, and with the transition to FD-SOI technologies, the vulnerability model of an IC must be drastically revised, from the transistor level up to the complex digital circuits one. In this PhD we propose to study the attacker model validation in the at the latter level. The objective is to contribute to the definition of a model of vulnerability after synthesis-of a RTL description of a circuit (for example a core processor) in a 22 nm FD-SOI technology. These models will contribute to define the attacker model injected as input in formal-based verification tools. The candidate will have to define a methodology to characterize with laser experiments the multilayer and heterogenous models in order to provide a quantitative analysis of their limit of validity. The methodology will be tested on ASIC realized by CEA for R&D projects allowing having a full control and knowledge of the architecture, of the design and synthesis parameters and the executed codes.
Integrated System for Adaptive Antenna Tuning and Synthesized Impedance in the Sub-6 GHz Band for Next-Generation RF Systems.
The growing adoption of sub-6 GHz RF systems for 5G, IoT, and wearable technologies has created a critical demand for compact, efficient, and adaptive solutions to enhance energy transfer, mitigate environmental detuning effects, and enable advanced sensing capabilities. This thesis proposes an innovative system-on-chip (SoC) that integrates an Antenna Tuning Unit (ATU) and a Synthesized Impedance Module (SIM) to address these challenges. By combining in-situ impedance measurement and dynamic re-adaptation, the system resolves a key limitation of miniature antennas—their extreme sensitivity to environmental perturbations, such as proximity to the human body or metal surfaces. Moreover, the integration of a Synthesized Impedance Module brings additional versatility by enabling the emulation of complex loads. This capability not only optimizes energy transfer but also allows for advanced functionality, such as material characterization and environmental sensing around the antenna.
A central focus of this research is the co-integration of a Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) with a broadband post-matching network (PMN) and a Synthesized Impedance Module. This combined architecture provides real-time impedance monitoring, dynamic tuning, and the generation of specific impedance profiles critical for characterizing the antenna's response under various scenarios. Guaranteed operation in the 100 MHz–6 GHz band is achieved while maintaining low power consumption through efficient duty cycling.
. Profile Sought : are you passionate about electronics and microelectronics and eager to contribute to a major technological breakthrough? We are looking for a motivated and curious candidate with the following qualifications:
. Education
Graduate of an engineering school or holder of a master’s degree in electronics or microelectronics.
Technical Skills
Strong knowledge of transistor technologies (CMOS, Bipolar, GaN…).
Expertise in analog/RF design.
Experience with design tools such as ADS and/or Cadence.
Programming
Basic skills in Python, MATLAB, or similar programming languages.
Additional Experience
Prior experience in integrated circuit design would be a valuable asset.
. Why Apply: you will have the opportunity to work on cutting-edge technologies in an innovative and collaborative research environment. You will be guided by renowned experts in the field to tackle exciting scientific and technical challenges.
Contacts: PhD. Ghita Yaakoubi Khbiza: ghita.yaakoubikhbiza@cea.fr, HDR. Serge Bories: serge.bories@cea.fr
Space-time Modulated Electromagnetic Metasurfaces for Multi-functional Energy-Efficient Wireless Systems
Next-generation (XG) wireless systems envision an unprecedented network densification and the efficient use of the near-millimeter-wave (mmW) spectrum. Disruptive concepts are required to minimize the number of antenna systems and their power consumption. Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) can provide high-gain beam-forming using simple devices (e.g. p-i-n diodes) to control their scattering properties of their unit-cells. However, the efficiency of an RIS and the wireless functions it can simultaneously realize, are bound by its inherent linearity and reciprocity.
Space-time modulated metasurfaces (STMMs) have recently emerged as a beam-forming solution overcoming fundamental limits of linear time-invariant systems. Leveraging an additional time-variation of the unit-cell response, with respect to RISs, an STMM can tailor at the same time angular and frequency spectra of the radiated fields, without using multiple active circuits as in current systems.
Most models for the design of STMMs are oversimplified and consider 1-D modulations in quasi-static temporal regime. The impact of spatial discretization and phase quantization is overlooked. The few reported prototypes are often electrically small, with a coarse (half-a-wavelength) period. Most demonstrators operate in reflection, below 17 GHz and enable only a 1-bit phase resolution. Independent far-field beam-steering at several frequencies has been proved in a single scan plane.
This Ph.D. thesis aims at modelling, designing and demonstrating electrically large and multi-functional transmissive STMM antennas with enhanced phase resolution and beam-forming capabilities. Efficient numerical models will enable the computation of the fields scattered by a STMM in far- and near-field regions, for arbitrary spatial and time modulation periods. Holographic and compressive sensing techniques will be proposed to jointly optimize the metasurface phase profile and the time-modulation waveforms, enabling harmonic beam-shaping. A thorough study of the effect of phase resolution, STMM period and time-modulation frequency on the performance, power consumption and complexity of the control electronics will be provided.
A transmissive STMM prototype based on p-i-n diodes and enabling a 2-bit phase resolution will be realized for the first time, building on the group background on space-modulated electronically reconfigurable flat lens antennas. It will work in a frequency range suited to terrestrial and satellite networks (17-31 GHz). Multiple antenna functionalities will be experimentally characterized using the same prototype, such as: (i) simultaneous and non-reciprocal 2-D beam-forming at different harmonics of the time-modulating signals, in either far-field or near-field region; (ii) pattern shaping at the fundamental frequency, using optimized time-sequences to increase the effective phase resolution.
The fundamental and experimental contributions of this research will broaden the physical insight on time-modulated metasurfaces and increase the maturity of this technology for energy-efficient smart antennas with applications to wireless networks and integrated communication and sensing systems. An intense dissemination activity in high-impact scientific journals of electrical engineering and applied physics is expected, given the novelty of the topic and the growing interest it triggers in several communities.
Laser Fault Injection Applied to Reverse Engineering of Memories
Memories play a critical role for the security of cyber-physical systems. They manage sensitive data such as cryptographic keys and proprietary codes. With the increasing threat of hardware attacks, understanding and manipulating memory organization has become essential. The thesis aims to explore the application of laser attack techniques, specifically Thermal Laser Stimulation (TLS) and laser perturbation, to reverse engineer memory systems. The primary objective is to develop methods for extracting or modifying memory content, with a particular focus on validating TLS on FDSOI 22nm technology. Additionally, the thesis seeks to use laser perturbation for reconstructing memory architecture, analyzing error-correcting codes, and designing countermeasures. The research will leverage the infrastructures available at CEA (e.g.,https://github.com/CEA-Leti/secbench), as well as the expertise of the laboratory members.
Sub-THz programmable electromagnetic surfaces based on phase change material switches
Spatiotemporal manipulation of the near- and far-electromagnetic (EM)-field distribution and its interaction with matter in the THz spectrum (0.1-0.6 THz) is of prime importance in the development of future communication, spectroscopy, imaging, holography, and sensing systems. Reconfigurable Intelligent (Meta)Surface (RIS) is a cutting-edge hybrid analogue/digital architecture capable of shaping and controlling the THz waves at the subwavelength scale. To democratize the RIS technology, it will be crucial to reduce its energy consumption by two orders of magnitude. However, the state-of-the-art does not address the integration, scalability, wideband and high-efficiency requirements.
Based on our recent research results, the main objective of this project will be to demonstrate novel silicon-based RIS architectures s at 140 GHz and 300 GHz. The enhancement of the THz RIS performance will derive from a careful choice of the silicon technology and, from novel wideband meta-atom designs (also called unit cell or element) with integrated switches based on PCM (phase change material). The possibility of dynamically controlling the amplitude of the transmission coefficients of the meta-atoms, besides their phase, will be also investigated. Near-field illumination will be introduced to obtain an ultra-low profile. To the best of our knowledge, this constitutes a new approach for the design of high-gain antennas in the sub-THz range.
RF Circuit Design for Zero Energy Communication
Our ambition for 6G communication is to drastically reduce the Energy in IoT. For that purpose we aim at developing an integrated circuit enabling zero Energy communication.
The objective of this PhD is to design this circuit in FD-SOI and operating in the 2.4 GHz. In this PhD, we propose to use a new design technique which is currently revolutionizing the radio-frequency design. We expect that many innovations can be carried out during this PhD by combining those two innovations.
The candidate will integrate a large design team and he will participate in collaborative project at european level. As a first step, he will analyze the system constraints to choose the best architecture and derive the specifications. Then, he will formalize mathematically the performances of the backscattering technique in order to setup a design methodology. Then he will be working full time on circuit design, sending to fabrication two circuits in 22 um technology. He will be also involve in the test of the circuit as well as in the preparation of a demonstrator of the backscattering techniques. We expect to publish several papers in high level conferences.
Secure and Agile Hardware/Software Implementation of new Post-Quantum Cryptography Digital Signature Algorithms
Cryptography plays a fundamental role in securing modern communication systems by ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity. Public-key cryptography, in particular, has become indispensable for secure data exchange and authentication processes. However, the advent of quantum computing poses an existential threat to many of the traditional public-key cryptographic algorithms, such as RSA, DSA, and ECC, which rely on problems like integer factorization and discrete logarithms that quantum computers can solve efficiently. Recognizing this imminent challenge, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) initiated in 2016 a global effort to develop and standardize Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC). After three rigorous rounds of evaluation, NIST announced its first set of standardized algorithms in 2022. While these algorithms represent significant progress, NIST has expressed an explicit need for additional digital signature schemes that leverage alternative security assumptions, emphasizing the importance of schemes that offer shorter signatures and faster verification times to enhance practical applicability in resource-constrained environments. Building on this foundation, NIST opened a new competition to identify additional general-purpose signature schemes. The second-round candidates, announced in October 2024, reflect a diverse array of cryptographic families.
This research focuses on the critical intersection of post-quantum digital signature algorithms and hardware implementations. As the cryptographic community moves toward adoption, the challenge lies not only in selecting robust algorithms but also in deploying them efficiently in real-world systems. Hardware implementations, in particular, must address stringent requirements for performance, power consumption, and security, while also providing the flexibility to adapt to multiple algorithms—both those standardized and those still under evaluation. Such agility is essential to future-proof systems against the uncertainty inherent in cryptographic transitions. The primary objective of this PhD research is to design and develop hardware-agile implementations for post-quantum digital signature algorithms. The focus will be on supporting multiple algorithms within a unified hardware framework, enabling seamless adaptability to the diverse needs of evolving cryptographic standards. This involves an in-depth study of the leading candidates from NIST’s fourth-round competition, as well as those already standardized, to understand their unique computational requirements and security properties. Special attention will be given to designing modular architectures that can support different signatures, ensuring versatility and extensibility. The proposed research will also explore optimizations for resource efficiency, balancing trade-offs between performance, power consumption, and area utilization. Additionally, resilience against physical attacks (side-channel attacks and fault injection attacks) will be a key consideration in the design process. This PhD project will be conducted within the PEPR PQ-TLS project in collaboration with the TIMA laboratory (Grenoble), the Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d’information (ANSSI) and INRIA.
Distributed Passive Radar
Our objective is to detect and locate drones entering an urban area to be protected by observing the signals emitted by cellular stations. Studies have shown that it is possible to locate a drone if it is close to the listening system and the cellular station (i.e. the base station). When the situation is more complex (i.e. there is no direct path between the cellular station and the radar or in the presence of several transmitting cellular stations causing a high level of interference), a single listening system called passive radar cannot correctly detect and locate the drone. To overcome these difficult conditions, we wish to distribute or deploy in the area to be protected a set of low-complexity passive radars which optimally exploit the signals emitted by these cellular stations. A distribution and deployment strategy for passive radars must then be considered by taking into account the positions of the transmitting cellular stations. The possibility of exchanging information between passive radars must also be considered in order to better manage interference linked to cellular stations.
EM Signature Modeling in Multi-path Scenario for Object Recognition and Semantic Radio SLAM
Context:
The vision for future communication networks includes providing highly accurate positioning and localization in both indoor and outdoor environments, alongside communication services (JCAS). With the widespread adoption of radar technologies, the concept of Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) has recently been adapted for radiofrequency applications. Initial proof-of-concept demonstrations have been conducted in indoor environments, producing 2D maps based on mmWave/THz monostatic backscattered signals. These measurements enable the development of complex state models that detail the precise location, size, and orientation of target objects, as well as their electromagnetic properties and material composition.
Beyond simply reproducing maps, incorporating object recognition and positioning within the environment adds a semantic layer to these applications. While semantic SLAM has been explored with video-based technologies, its application to radiofrequency is still an emerging area of research. This approach requires precise electromagnetic models of object signatures and their interactions with the surrounding environment. Recent studies have developed iterative physical optics and equivalent current-based models to simulate the free-space multistatic signature of nearby objects.
PhD Thesis:
The objective of this thesis is to study and model object backscattering in a multi-path scenario for precise imaging and object recognition (including material properties). The work will involve developing a mathematical model for the backscattering of sensed objects in the environment, applying it to 3D SLAM, and achieving object recognition/classification. The model should capture both near- and far-field effects while accounting for the impact of the antenna on the overall radio channel. The study will support the joint design of antenna systems and the associated processing techniques (e.g., filtering and imaging) required for the application.
The PhD student will be hosted in the Antenna and Propagation Laboratory at CEA LETI in Grenoble, France. The research will be conducted in partnership with the University of Bologna.
Application:
The position is open to outstanding students with a Master of Science degree, “école d’ingénieur” diploma, or equivalent. The student should have a specialization in telecommunications, microwaves, and/or signal processing. The application must include a CV, cover letter, and academic transcripts for the last two years of study.