An FPAA Approach to Adaptive Filter Design with Evolutionary Software-driven Reconfiguration

Abstract

The ever increasing requirement of highly complex processing functions integrated in silicon attracts new paradigms for reconfigurable circuit design. The target is the development of fully adaptive mixed-signal systems on a chip, with a conclusive example found in the field of radio communications. This paper proposes an auto-adaptive filter developed for analog filtering in next-generation intelligent multi-mode wireless receivers. The adaptive system is built around a field programmable analog array. A simultaneous reconfiguration algorithm performs both the design and synthesis of the analog filter providing partial solutions along the reconfiguration process. Topology synthesis is implemented with a look up table and parametric design is performed with an evolutionary design scheme. A hierarchical self-repair mechanism then operates towards invariance vs. environmental changes and post-silicon failure. The proposed auto-adaptive filter concept is validated with extensive transistor-level simulation and specific design illustrations of GSM and WCDMA intermediate frequency analog filters. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.eee.20.5.5579