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Circuits from RF to Bits EE194. Brad Wheeler. Block Diagram. RF gain N oise reasons Down-conversion Easier to build low frequency circuits Signal processing M ore gain, filtering Digitization/demodulation Extract the information. To LNA or Not to LNA?.
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Circuits from RF to BitsEE194 Brad Wheeler
Block Diagram • RF gain • Noise reasons • Down-conversion • Easier to build low frequency circuits • Signal processing • More gain, filtering • Digitization/demodulation • Extract the information
To LNA or Not to LNA? • Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) provides RF gain • LNA Design Recipe • Start with common source/gate • Add inductors • Burn lots of current • Pros • Lower Noise Figure • Better sensitivity • Cons • Power consumption Razavi, Behzad, and RazaviBehzad. RF microelectronics. Vol. 2. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1998.
Matching Networks • Achieve RF gain using LC resonance instead of active elements • Topologies • L, Pi, tapped element • Metrics • Gain • Must account for loading • Input impedance • Bandwidth • Tuning • Noise Cr: Prof Niknejad, EE142
Matching Network Gain • Series to parallel transformation • Loaded vs unloaded • Realistic on-chip inductors • Q ~ 10-15+ • L ~ pH to nH (10nH roughly 200um*200um)
Matching Network Gain Unloaded
Matching Network Gain Unloaded Loaded, Q=15
Down-Conversion Mixers • Move signal from RF (GHz) to Intermediate Frequency (MHz) • Metrics • Input impedance • Gain • Noise • Linearity • Passive vs Active Razavi, Behzad, and RazaviBehzad. RF microelectronics. Vol. 2. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1998.
Passive Mixers • Input impedance • Noise • Gain • Sinc(Duty Cycle) Razavi, Behzad, and RazaviBehzad. RF microelectronics. Vol. 2. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1998.
Passive Mixers • Transparency • N-path filter • Limited by Ron/Rs • Andrews/Molnar • Hard switching, multiple phases • Cook/Berny • Resonant, sinusoidal drive
Hard Switching • Rail to rail switch drivers • Multiple clock phases, non-overlapping inputs • Higher performance, higher power to drive Andrews, Caroline, and Alyosha C. Molnar. "Implications of passive mixer transparency for impedance matching and noise figure in passive mixer-first receivers." IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Regular Papers 57.12 (2010): 3092-3103.
Sinusoidal Drive • Can also resonate out switch gate capacitance in LC tank • Sinusoidal waveform yields approximately square conduction cycle • Lower LO power, but fewer phases available Cook, Ben W., et al. "Low-power 2.4-GHz transceiver with passive RX front-end and 400-mV supply." IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits 41.12 (2006): 2757-2766.
Receiver Components • RF gain • Noise reasons • Down-conversion • Easier to build low frequency circuits • Signal processing • More gain, filtering • Digitization/demodulation • Extract the information
IF Amplifiers • Direct conversion vs heterodyne • DC offsets, flicker noise • We need amplifiers/filters in the MHz range • First active amplifier becomes the noise vs power limiting factor
Filters • Why filter? • Interference • Noise • More options than Baskin Robbins • Discrete time (DT) vs continuous time (CT) • Aliasing • Active vs passive
CT Filters Tow-Thomas Biquad Active Ladder Filter Passive Ladder Filter Gm-C Filter Cr: Prof Boser, EE240C
Filter Frequency Ranges Cr: Prof Boser, EE240C
(Active) Switched Capacitor • Transfer function set by clocks, capacitor ratios • Very precise control • Active = Charge being pushed around by opamps Cr: Prof Boser, EE240C
Passive Switched Capacitor • Transconductor converts input to charge • Passive charge sharing defines filtering • Poles determined by capacitor ratios Continuous time gain and anti-alias filtering Discrete time filtering Tohidian, Massoud, Iman Madadi, and Robert BogdanStaszewski. "Analysis and design of a high-order discrete-time passive IIR low-pass filter." IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits 49.11 (2014): 2575-2587.
High Order Poles • One transconductor, many switches and caps • Can only implement poles on the real axis with this topology Tohidian, Massoud, Iman Madadi, and Robert BogdanStaszewski. "Analysis and design of a high-order discrete-time passive IIR low-pass filter." IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits 49.11 (2014): 2575-2587.
Complex Conjugate Poles • Negative feedback allows to move poles off real axis • Limited to low quality factor Invert Polarity Lulec, SevilZeynep, David A. Johns, and Antonio Liscidini. "A simplified model for passive-switched-capacitor filters with complex poles." IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems II: Express Briefs 63.6 (2016): 513-517.
Complex Filters • By combining charge from In-phase and Quadrature samples, can make filters asymmetric about 0 Hz Madadi, Iman, MassoudTohidian, and Robert Bogdan Staszewski. "Analysis and design of I/Q charge-sharing band-pass-filter for superheterodyne receivers." IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Regular Papers 62.8 (2015): 2114-2121.
Passive FIR Cook, Benjamin W., and Axel D. Berny. "Passive discrete time analog filter." U.S. Patent No. 8,849,886. 30 Sep. 2014.
Previous Filter Design (Simulated) • Cascade of IIR & FIR blocks • 4th order filter centered at 2.5MHz with Fs = 100 MHz • 1-bit zero crossing demodulator • High sampling frequency • Gain requirements • Offset cancellation
ADC/Comparator • Sample rate, number of bits, etc driven by system level modeling • Filter type/passband • Demodulator • Simplest ADC is just a comparator (1-bit) • Demodulate FSK by counting time between zero crossings of square wave
Clocked Comparators Strongarm Double Tail Razavi, Behzad. "The StrongARM Latch [A Circuit for All Seasons]." Solid-State Circuits Magazine, IEEE 7.2 (2015): 12-17. Schinkel, Daniel, et al. "A double-tail latch-type voltage sense amplifier with 18ps setup+ hold time." Solid-State Circuits Conference, 2007. ISSCC 2007. Digest of Technical Papers. IEEE International. IEEE, 2007.
Design Considerations • Power, offset, speed, noise • Lower offset either by up-sizing input devices, or by adding correction • Both cost more power • Pelgrom, Monte Carlo • Offset calibration schemes • Current tuning • Capacitor DAC • Body bias
Simulation Issues • Switched capacitor circuits require special simulation techniques • Periodic Steady State (PSS) • Compute a solution around a time varying operating point • Periodic Versions of all the normal analysis • PAC • PNoise