Kenan Wang, a 2025 master’s student in Electronic Science and Technology at Shanghai Jiao Tong University Global College (SJTUGC, abbreviated as GC hereafter), has won first prize in the Best Student Presentation Award at the 2026 IEEE Photonics and Electromagnetics Research Symposium (PIERS), held in Suzhou. Wang is a member of the research group led by GC Associate Professor Xuyang Lu. She received the award for her presentation of the paper, “A Fast-startup 40 MHz Crystal Oscillator with Precisely Timed Injection and Dynamic Capacitive Loading.”
Kenan Wang receives first prize in the Best Student Presentation Award at IEEE PIERS.
Crystal oscillators (XOs) are among the most fundamental clock modules in modern electronic systems. They are widely used in wireless communications, automotive radar, navigation and positioning, the Internet of Things (IoT), and various intelligent sensing systems. As a time reference for electronic systems, their performance directly affects synchronization accuracy, spectral purity, and overall power consumption.
High-Q quartz crystals provide excellent frequency stability and low phase noise, but they typically suffer from slow startup. Conventional crystal oscillators often require startup times on the order of milliseconds, making them less suitable for duty-cycled applications such as frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar and low-power sensors, which require rapid wake-up and high energy efficiency.
Kenan Wang presents her research project at the conference poster.
To address this challenge, Wang conducted research on fast-startup crystal oscillators under the supervision of Xuyang Lu. She proposed a coordinated startup acceleration architecture integrating Precisely Timed Injection (PTI), dynamic transconductance enhancement (gm boost), and Dynamic Capacitive Loading.
During the initial stage of oscillation buildup, precisely timed energy injection and adaptive loop-gain adjustment significantly accelerate the startup process. A progressive reconfiguration strategy is then employed to ensure a smooth frequency transition and stable convergence. The proposed approach achieves fast startup while maintaining strong spectral performance.
IEEE PIERS is an internationally recognized conference covering electromagnetics, microwave technology, RF integrated circuits, optoelectronics, and related fields. It provides a platform for researchers from around the world to exchange ideas and foster collaboration in electromagnetic theory, device technologies, and system applications.
The 2026 conference brought together researchers and professionals from universities, research institutions, and industry worldwide. The Best Student Presentation Award recognizes outstanding student presentations based on academic innovation, research contributions, and presentation performance. First prize was awarded to one of 46 student presenters competing for the award.
Kenan Wang
2025 master’s student in Electronic Science and Technology
Wang is a member of the Laboratory of Ultrafast Integrated Systems. Her research focuses on RF and millimeter-wave integrated circuit design, including high-performance crystal oscillators, broadband active isolators and circulators, and millimeter-wave mixers. Her research has been presented at international conferences including IEEE NEMO 2025 and IEEE PIERS 2026. She received first prize in the 2026 IEEE PIERS Best Student Presentation Award.
Xuyang Lu
Associate Professor, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Global College and Department of Electronic Engineering; Doctoral Supervisor; National-level Young Talent
Lu’s research focuses on RF, millimeter-wave, terahertz, and near-infrared integrated circuit design. His research has been published in leading journals and conferences, including Nature Electronics, ISSCC, and IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits (JSSC). He has received honors including an IEEE Predoctoral Fellowship, Forbes 30 Under 30, and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Xiaomi Scholar Award.
