Area and Power Efficient Ultra-Wideband Transmitter Based on Active Inductor

Abstract

This brief presents the design of an impulse radio ultra-wideband (IR-UWB) transmitter for low-power, short-range, and high-data rate applications such as high density neural recording interfaces. The IR-UWB transmitter pulses are generated by modulating the output of a local oscillator. The large area requirement of the spiral inductor in a conventional on-chip LC tank is overcome by replacing it with an active inductor topology. The circuit has been fabricated in a UMC CMOS 180-nm technology, with a die area of 0.021 mm2. The temporal width of the output waveform is determined by a pulse generator based on logic gates. The measured pulse is compliant with federal communications commission power spectral density limits and within the frequency band of 3–6 GHz. For the minimum pulse duration of 1 ns, the energy consumption of the design is 20 pJ per bit, while transmitting at 200-Mbps data rate with an amplitude of 130 mV.