RF Transceiver Design Research Articles

Anti-Piracy Design of RF Transceivers

We present a locking-based design-for-security methodology to prevent piracy of RF transceiver integrated circuits. The solution is called SyncLock as it locks the synchronization of the transmitter with the receiver. If a key other than the secret key is applied, synchronization and, thereby, communication fail. SyncLock is implemented using a novel locking concept consisting of two spatially separated mechanisms. A hard-coded error is hidden into the design to break synchronization while error correction, i.e., unlocking, takes place in another part of the design by applying the secret key. SyncLock offers several advantages: the secret key is unique, i.e., any incorrect key causes a denial-of-service, there is no performance penalty, it can be seemingly integrated into the digital design flow, area and power overheads are negligible, and it achieves maximum provable security thwarting all known counter-attacks. SyncLock is demonstrated with hardware measurements.

Integrated multi-band RF transceiver design for multi-standard applications using 130 ​nm CMOS technology

This paper presents high efficiency, high integration, and wideband low-IF radio frequency transceiver for multi-standard applications using 130 ​nm CMOS technology. The proposed low-IF transceiver includes receiver, transmitter, and quadrature voltage-controlled power oscillator (QVCO). The proposed receiver consists of a low-noise driver stage designed using Capacitive Cross-Coupling (CCC) common-gate configuration, and I/Q demodulator. While, the proposed transmitter composes of an I/Q modulator and an RF power amplifier, where the I/Q modulator consists of two up-conversion mixers, a five ports transformer along with switched capacitors bank for reconfigurable RF output matching. The proposed receiver has a frequency band of 0–10 ​GHz, while the operating frequency of the proposed transmitter equals 1.5–4 ​GHz. The proposed RF transceiver design is suitable for multi-band LTE, IOT, WSN, and multi-standard applications. The proposed receiver achieves a power gain of 15.4 ​dB, noise figure (NF) equals 3.8 ​dB, sensitivity equals −100.2 dBm and a dynamic range of 92.2 dBm. On the other hand, the proposed transmitter has a saturated output power of 23 dBm, power added efficiency (PAE) equals 41%, the power gain of 25 ​dB, and adjacent channel power ratio (ACPR) of equals −31.8dBc. The proposed receiver and transmitter consume 10.85 ​mW, and 180.95 ​mW, respectively, including the QVCO. The receiver and transmitter Figures of Merit (FoM) equal 191.5 ​dB and 2.45 ​dB respectively. The active areas of the proposed receiver and transmitter equal 0.56mm2 and 1.6mm2, respectively while the chip areas are1.6mm2 and 2.4mm2, respectively.

RF MEMS Modules: A Multiphysical Design Methodology Based on System Performance Requirements

The continuous development of faster and more efficient wireless communication standards challenges the design of RF transceivers with stringent requirements. The compatibility with deployed standards, such as the universal mobile telecommunications system, long-term evolution (LTE), and 5G, further tasks RF front-end design. The coexistence of more standards causes the frequency band allocation across the global RF spectrum to become crowded, shrinking the separation between bands.

고속주파수 도약용 RF송수신기 설계 및 구현에 대한 연구

고속주파수 도약용 RF송수신기 설계 및 구현에 대한 연구

SSCS DL Borivoje Nikolic Visits Student Branch Chapter in Novi Sad, IEEE Serbia Montenegro Section: Talks on Flexible RF Transceiver Design [Chapters

SSCS DL Borivoje Nikolic Visits Student Branch Chapter in Novi Sad, IEEE Serbia Montenegro Section: Talks on Flexible RF Transceiver Design [Chapters

Special issue on THz communications

In wireless communication networks a rapid increase of traffic demand has been observed in conjunction with the development of applications that require rapidly increasing data rates even on a single link. Within the next decade applications will be developed demanding for data rates of several 10 s of Gbit/s. These data rates can be only achieved by either significantly improving spectral efficiencies or by extending the available spectrum to several 10 s of GHz. Such an amount of spectrum is available only beyond 300 GHz, which is called the Terahertz frequency range. In order to develop a system operating beyond 300 GHz at data rates with several 10 s of Gbit/s is a challenging task requiring an interdisciplinary approach incorporating areas like, propagation and channel modeling, antennas, RF transceiver design, appropriate baseband technologies, MAC protocols, etc. A couple of years ago activities in research, standardization and regulation have emerged. Applications of THz communications range from single stand alone and dedicated super high capacity data pipes up to a “THz nano cell„ as a part of integrated cellular multi-layer system.

Planar quadrature RF transceiver design using common-mode differential-mode (CMDM) transmission line method for 7T MR imaging.

The use of quadrature RF magnetic fields has been demonstrated to be an efficient method to reduce transmit power and to increase the signal-to-noise (SNR) in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. The goal of this project was to develop a new method using the common-mode and differential-mode (CMDM) technique for compact, planar, distributed-element quadrature transmit/receive resonators for MR signal excitation and detection and to investigate its performance for MR imaging, particularly, at ultrahigh magnetic fields. A prototype resonator based on CMDM method implemented by using microstrip transmission line was designed and fabricated for 7T imaging. Both the common mode (CM) and the differential mode (DM) of the resonator were tuned and matched at 298MHz independently. Numerical electromagnetic simulation was performed to verify the orthogonal B1 field direction of the two modes of the CMDM resonator. Both workbench tests and MR imaging experiments were carried out to evaluate the performance. The intrinsic decoupling between the two modes of the CMDM resonator was demonstrated by the bench test, showing a better than -36 dB transmission coefficient between the two modes at resonance frequency. The MR images acquired by using each mode and the images combined in quadrature showed that the CM and DM of the proposed resonator provided similar B1 coverage and achieved SNR improvement in the entire region of interest. The simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed CMDM method with distributed-element transmission line technique is a feasible and efficient technique for planar quadrature RF coil design at ultrahigh fields, providing intrinsic decoupling between two quadrature channels and high frequency capability. Due to its simple and compact geometry and easy implementation of decoupling methods, the CMDM quadrature resonator can possibly be a good candidate for design blocks in multichannel RF coil arrays.

Shunted-Line Stepped-Impedance Resonator

This article provides an extensive review of dual-band bandpass filter designs and discusses the pros and cons of these design methods. The behavior of an SLSIR proposed by the authors shows that two passbands can be generated without using external dual-band impedance transformers. Furthermore, by using the design curves shown in this article, the k and the Qe, which are used for the synthesis of a dual-band bandpass filter, can be accurately calculated. Two examples of dual-band bandpass filters operated at 1.9/5.7 and 2.45/5.7 GHz with different bandwidths was presented to show details of the design technique. The simulation and measurement results shown are in good agreement. The resulting SLSIR dual-band filters using this technique not only provide controllable responses but also have high frequency selectivity and good impedance matching with considerable size reduction. Finally, a performance comparison comparing the technique in this article with previous design methods is listed in Table 3. The design methodology should be useful in dual-band RF transceiver design.

Developing a Wireless Implantable Body Sensor Network in MICS Band

Through an integration of wireless communication and sensing technologies, the concept of a body sensor network (BSN) was initially proposed in the early decade with the aim to provide an essential technology for wearable, ambulatory, and pervasive health monitoring for elderly people and chronic patients. It has become a hot research area due to big opportunities as well as great challenges it presents. Though the idea of an implantable BSN was proposed in parallel with the on-body sensor network, the development in this area is relatively slow due to the complexity of human body, safety concerns, and some technological bottlenecks such as the design of ultralow-power implantable RF transceiver. This paper describes a new wireless implantable BSN that operates in medical implant communication service (MICS) frequency band. This system innovatively incorporates both sensing and actuation nodes to form a closed-control loop for physiological monitoring and drug delivery for critically ill patients. The sensing node, which is designed using system-on-chip technologies, takes advantage of the newly available ultralow-power Zarlink MICS transceiver for wireless data transmission. Finally, the specific absorption rate distribution of the proposed system was simulated to determine the in vivo electromagnetic field absorption and the power safety limits.

Novel Antenna-in-Package Design in LTCC for Single-Chip RF Transceivers

An antenna-in-package (AiP) design offers an elegant antenna solution to modern single-chip RF transceivers. The AiP design that integrates an antenna or antennas with a single-chip RF transceiver die into a standard surface mounted device represents an innovative and important development in the miniaturization of radio systems in recent years. In this paper, we present a novel AiP design in low temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) technology for single-chip RF transceivers operating in the 5-GHz band. First, we focus on the design of a microstrip line antenna on an LTCC substrate. Then, a double-resonance technique and a meshed ground plane are proposed to enhance the impedance bandwidth of the microstrip line antenna. Next, the microstrip line antenna is integrated into the novel AiP with emphasis on feeding the microstrip line antenna using the packaging elements of the carried single-chip RF transceiver die. After that, a unique AiP design which supports the operation of differential signal to suit the mainstream design of single-chip RF transceivers in a differential architecture is described. Finally, the performance of the original AiP design is verified by experimental results.

Review on RF Performance of Ultra Wide Band Device

UWB(Ultra Wide Band) system for high speed and high accurate location has been studying actively. This paper presents the design and implementation of RF transceiver for DS-CDMA(Direct Sequence-Code Division Multiple Access) UWB device. Major components of RF transceiver such as Low Noise Amplifier(LNA) and Band Pass Filter(BPF) are designed and then fabricated to meet wideband characteristics. The RF transceiver was implemented by the use of the fabricated components and commercial devices after carrying out performance simulation. Through the performance evaluation of the UWB RF transceiver with W-CDMA signal, the approach of design, implementation and evaluation of RF transceiver which is available to DS-CDMA UWB system is verified.

Integrated RF components in a SiGe bipolar technology

Several components for the design of monolithic RF transceivers on silicon substrates are presented and discussed. They are integrated in a manufacturable analog SiGe bipolar technology without any significant process alterations. Spiral inductors have inductance values in the range of /spl sim/0.15-80 nH with typical maximum quality-factors (Q/sub max/) of 3-20. The Q/sub max/'s are highest if the doping concentration under the inductors is kept minimum. It is shown that the inductor area is an important parameter toward optimization of Q/sub max/ at a given frequency. The inductors can be represented in circuit design by a simple lumped-element model. MOS capacitors have Q's of /spl sim/20/f (GHz)/C(pF), metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors reach Q's of /spl sim/80/f (GHz)/C(pF), and varactors with a 40% tuning range have Q's of /spl sim/70/f (GHz)/C(pF). Those devices can he modeled by using lumped elements as well. The accuracy of the modeling is verified by comparing the simulated and the measured high-frequency characteristics of a fully integrated, passive-element bandpass filter.