A fully integrated differential impulse radio transmitter

Abstract

This paper presents a fully integrated differential impulse radio transmitter for ultra-wideband (UWB) applications. The design features low power dissipation, simple hardware, and a precise differential pulse shape. The transmitter employing the Time Hopping Pulse Position Modulation (THPPM) scheme supports eight simultaneous users' access with 2.5-ns hopping time allocated in a frame time of 20 ns. A differential 5th-derivative Gaussian pulse generator is designed to regulate the pulse shape so as to automatically satisfy the FCC spectrum mask. The transmitter in a 1.8-V 0.18-µm CMOS process is realized in an IC area of 629 µm × 797 µm for its all digital circuit design. The measured Gaussian pulse train shows the random property and the measured 5th-derivative Gaussian pulse has a peak-to-peak amplitude of 154 mV and a pulse width of 820 ps. The average power dissipation of the transmitter is 23 mW.