Integration of broadband direct-conversion quadrature modulators

To increase spectral efficiency, transmitters usually send only one of the information carrying sidebands centered around a single radio-frequency carrier. The close-lying mirror, or image, sideband will be eliminated either by the filtering method or by the phasing method. Since filter Q-values rise in direct relation to the transmitted frequencies, the filtering method is generally not feasible for integrated microwave transmitters. A quadrature modulator realizes the phasing method by combining signals phased at quadrature (i.e. at 90° offsets) to produce a single-sideband (SSB) output. In this way output filtering can be removed or its specifications greatly relieved so as to produce an economical microwave transmitter. The proliferation of integrated circuit (IC) technologies since the 1980s has further boosted the popularity of quadrature modulator as an IC realization makes possible the economical production of two closely matched doubly balanced mixers, which suppress carrier and even-order spurious leakage to circuit output. Another strength of IC is its ability to perform microwave quadrature generation accurately on-chip, and thereby to avoid most of the interconnect parasitics which could ruin high-frequency quadrature signaling. Nevertheless, all quadrature modulator implementations are sensitive to phasing and amplitude errors, which are born as a result of mismatches, from the use of inaccurate differential signaling, and from inadequacies in the phasing circuitry itself. A 2° phase error is easily produced, and it reduces the image-rejection ratio (IRR) to −30 dBc. Therefore, as baseband signals synthesized by digital signal processing (DSP) are sufficiently accurate, this thesis concentrates on analyzing and producing the microwave signal path of a direct-conversion quadrature modulator with special emphasis on broadband, multimode radio-compatible operation. A model of the direct-conversion quadrature modulator operation has been developed, which reveals the effect the circuit non-linearities and mismatch-related offsets have on available performance. Further, theoretical proof is given of the well-known property of improving differential signal balance that cascaded differential pairs exhibit. Among the practical results, a current reuse mixer has been developed, which improves the transmitted signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) by 3 dB, with a maximum measured dynamic range of +158 dB. The complementary bipolar process was further used to extend the bipolar push-pull stage bandwidth to 9.5 GHz. At the core of this work is the parallel switchable polyphase (PP) filter quadrature generator that was developed, since it makes possible accurate broadband IQ generation without the high loss that usually results from the application of PP filtering. Two IQ modulator prototypes were realized to test simulated and theoretically derived data: the 0.8 µm SiGe IC achieves an IRR better than −40 dBc over 0.75-3.6 GHz, while the 0.13 µm digital bulk CMOS IC achieves better than −37 dBc over 0.56-4.76 GHz. For this IRR performance the SiGe prototype boasts the inexpensive solution of integrated baluns, while the CMOS one utilizes a coil-transmission line hybrid transformer at its LO input to drive the switchable PP filters.Taajuuksien käytön tehostamiseksi lähettimet lähettävät yleensä vain toisen informaatiota sisältävistä sivukaistoistaan yhdelle radiotaajuuksiselle kantoaallolle keskitettynä. Viereinen peilitaajuus eli sivukaista vaimennetaan joko suodattamalla tai vaiheistamalla signalointia sopivasti. Koska suodattimen hyvyysluvut nousevat suorassa suhteessa käytettyyn taajuuteen, ei suodatusmenetelmä ole yleensä mahdollinen mikroaaltotaajuusalueen lähettimissä. Kvadratuurimodulaattori toteuttaa vaiheistusmenetelmän yhdistämällä 90-asteen vaihesiirroksin vaiheistetut signaalit yksisivukaistaisen lähetteen tuottamiseksi. Näin voidaan korvata lähdön suodatus joko kokonaan tai lieventämällä vaadittavia suoritusarvoja, jolloin mikroaaltoalueen lähetin voidaan tuottaa taloudellisesti. Integroitujen piiriratkaisujen yleistyminen 1980-luvulta lähtien on edesauttanut kvadratuurimodulaattorin suosiota, koska integroidulle piirille voidaan taloudellisesti tuottaa kaksi hyvin ominaisuuksiltaan toisiaan vastaavaa kaksoisbalansoitua sekoitinta, ja nämä tunnetusti vaimentavat kantoaaltovuotoa ja parillisia harmoonisia piirin lähdössä. Toinen integroitujen piirien vahvuus on kyky tarkkaan mikroaaltoalueen kvadratuurisignalointiin samalla piirillä, jolloin vältetään suurin osa kytkentöjen parasiittisista jotka muutoin voisivat tuhota korkeataajuuksisen 90-asteen vaiheistuksen. Kaikki kvadratuurimodulaattorit ovat joka tapauksessa herkkiä vaiheistus- ja amplitudieroille, joita syntyy komponenttiarvojen satunnaishajonnasta, epätarkan differentiaalisen signaloinnin käytöstä, ja itse vaiheistuspiiristön puutteellisuuksista. Kahden asteen vaihevirhe syntyy helposti, ja tällöin sivukaistavaimennus heikkenee -30 dBc:n tasolle. Tämänvuoksi, ja olettaen että digitaalisella signaaliprosessorilla luotu kantataajuuksinen signalointi on riittävän tarkkaa, tämä väitöskirja keskittyy kvadratuurimodulaattorin mikroaaltotaajuuksisen signaalipolun analysointiin ja tuottamiseen painottaen erityisesti laajakaistaista, monisovellusradioiden kanssa yhteensopivaa toimivuutta. Kvadratuurimodulaattorin toimintamallia on kehitetty siten, että mallissa huomioidaan epälineaarisuuksien ja piirielementtien satunnaishajontojen vaikutus saavutettavalle suorituskyvylle. Lisäksi on teoreettisesti todistettu sinänsä hyvin tunnettu peräkkäin kytkettyjen vahvistinasteiden differentiaalisen signaloinnin symmetrisyyttä parantava vaikutus. Käytännön tuloksista voidaan mainita kehitetty virtaakierrättävä sekoitin, joka parantaa signaali-kohinasuhdetta +3 dB, suurimman mitatun dynaamisen alueen ollessa +158 dB. Samaa komplementaarista bipolaariprosessia käytettiin edelleen bipolaarisen vuorovaihe-asteen kaistan levittämisessä 9.5 GHz:iin. Yhtenä tämän työn tärkeimmistä tuloksista on kehitetty kytkimin valittavista rinnakkaisista monivaihesuodattimista koostuva kvadratuurigeneraattori, jolla on mahdollista tuottaa laajakaistaista IQ-signalointia ilman suurta häviötä joka yleensä liittyy monivaihesuodattimien käyttöön. Kaksi IQ-modulaattoriprototyyppiä toteutettiin simuloitujen ja teoreettisesti mallinnettujen tulosten testaamiseksi: 0.8 µm SiGe integroitu piiri saavuttaa paremman sivukaistavaimennuksen kuin -40 dBc yli 0.75-3.6 GHz, kun taas 0.13 µm digitaalipiirien tuottamiseen tarkoitetulla CMOS prosessilla toteutettu integroitu piiri saavuttaa paremman sivukaistavaimennuksen kuin -37 dBc taajuusalueella 0.56-4.76 GHz. Näihin sivukaistavaimennuksiin SiGe prototyyppi pääsee edullisesti integroiduin symmetrointimuuntajin, kun taas CMOS piirillä käytetään kela-siirtojohto-tyyppistä yhdistelmämuuntajaa LO-sisääntulossa josta ajetaan erikseen kytkettäviä monivaihesuodattimia.reviewe

High-Power Comb-Line Filter Architectures for Switched-Mode RF Power Amplifier Systems

Die vorgelegte Arbeit behandelt die Analyse der Anforderungen, denschaltungstechnischen Entwurf, den Aufbau und die messtechnische Verifizierungvon Rekonstruktionsfiltern für Leistungsschaltverstärker im Klasse-SBetrieb, die auf Grund ihres hohen Wirkungsgrades vorzugsweise in MobilfunkbasisstationenVerwendung finden sollen. Die Brauchbarkeit des Entwurfeswird an Hand einer Reihe von Applikationsbeispielen anschaulich dargestellt.Als Kernforderung einer derartigen Filterauslegung hat sich die Aufrechterhaltungder Rechteckzeitfunktion des Drain-Stromes für einen (im ”CurrentMode” arbeitenden) Schaltverstärker herausgestellt, weil sonst die damit erzielbarehohe Effizienz nicht erreicht werden kann. Darüber hinaus fließen indie Filterauslegung nicht nur die Fixierung des Filterdurchlass- und sperrbereichesein, sondern auch die Festlegung der Eingangs- und Lastimpedanz bei unterschiedlichenAnregungsmoden über einen breiten Frequenzbereich. Doppelundeinzelterminierte Filter werden theoretisch betrachtet, simuliert, getestetund gemessen.Es wurde herausgearbeitet, dass die schaltungstechnischen und geometrischenAnforderungen an einen derartigen Rekonstruktionsfilterentwurf gutdurch symmetrisch gespeiste Kammleitungsfilter erfüllt werden können. VerschiedeneFilterarchitekturen werden im Hinblick auf ihr Gleich- und Gegentaktaktimpedanzverhaltenvorgestellt, experimentell untersucht und kritischanalysiert. Soweit dem Autor bekannt ist, werden hier erstmalig Rekonstruktionsfilterfür Klasse-S Leistungsverstärker im ”Current Mode” komplett analysiert.Desweiteren wird die Funktionalität des Rekonstruktionsfilters an Handanderer Typen von Leistungsschaltverstärkern simuliert und messtechnisch untersucht.Der maximale Wirkungsgrad von 65% bei Leistungsschaltverstärkersystemenlässt sich dem erfolgreichen Filterentwurf zuschreiben.This work has taken place in the context that a class-S power amplifiersystem with simplified transmitter architectures and increased power efficiencymakes an attractive candidate for cellular phone base transceiver station applications.The author describes the requirements for, and a number of successfulimplementations of, a reconstruction filter suitable for such an amplifier system.In a current-mode class-S power amplifier system, crucial to the maintenanceof the rectangular shape of the drain current and thus to high efficiency arenot only the tailoring of pass-band and stop-band, but also the specification ofinput impedance for different modes of excitation over a wide frequency range.Doubly and singly terminated filters are subjected to theoretical consideration,simulation, testing and measurement. The main focus of the research is on thedesign of the reconstruction filter.It is found that the electrical and geometrical constraints for the designof a reconstruction filter are well satisfied by balanced input comb-line filters.Several filter architectures are proposed, experimentally investigated, and criticallyanalysed in terms of differential and common mode impedances. Thisis the first complete analysis of reconstruction filters for current mode class-Spower amplifier systems, as far as the author knows. Switched-mode poweramplifier systems which include the proposed filters are also simulated andmeasured under different driving conditions. The maximum power efficiencyof 65% to date in the switched-mode power amplifier systems can be attributedto the successful filter design

Monolithic active resonator filters for high frequencies

This doctoral thesis deals with monolithic active resonators and their use in high-frequency filters. The emphasis has been put on noise and distortion properties of active resonators, as these are crucial in potential applications. Two active resonator types are considered: passive LC resonators with active negative resistance compensation, and gyrator-based active inductor resonators. An introduction to the theory of passive resonators is given, and the basic quality factor and noise characteristics are discussed in detail. Filter structures based on parallel resonators are studied and techniques for frequency tuning briefly introduced. Based on a three-port equivalent, different negative resistor structures suitable for integration are categorized, and their fundamental small-signal and tuning properties derived. The noise properties of the topologies are analyzed and compared. The Volterra-series method is applied in the distortion estimations for each negative resistor type. Practical examples of integrated negative resistor are given with realistic measured data. High-Q active inductors based on integrated high-frequency gyrators are analyzed using the total loop phase shift as an essential parameter. Theoretical limitations of high-frequency performance and tuning are found. Noise and distortion properties are assessed in the same manner as with negative resistors to give grounds for direct comparisons. Practical issues of monolithic active inductor resonators are tackled and realized topologies with measured results are presented. Active resonator filters employing either of the resonator types are discussed. Their noise and distortion performance derived from the respective resonator results is calculated. Automated tuning techniques are briefly discussed. Exemplary designs are presented with measured data. The two realized active resonator filters with negative resistance resonators operate in the 3 – 4 GHz region with 1.1% and 12% relative bandwidths, 400-MHz tuning ranges, and 19-dB and 11-dB noise figures respectively. The DC power consumption is a low 15 mW per resonator. The active inductor filter has a center frequency of 2.4 GHz with almost 1-GHz tuning range. The noise figure is a high 30 dB as estimated by the theory. System considerations show that active filters cannot directly replace passive filters in traditional radio architectures due to their relatively poor performance, but as a new potential application, an LO signal generation system for direct-conversion transmitters with a monolithic band-pass filter is presented. Both GaAs and Si-BiCMOS realizations show the feasibility of the concept. With the comparable quality factors of 415 and 300 and approximately the same –1-dB output compression points of –20 dBm, the BiCMOS topology consumes only a fraction of DC power but still gives more than 80 dBc mirror rejection thanks to its dual-mixer topology.reviewe

Topical Workshop on Electronics for Particle Physics

The purpose of the workshop was to present results and original concepts for electronics research and development relevant to particle physics experiments as well as accelerator and beam instrumentation at future facilities; to review the status of electronics for the LHC experiments; to identify and encourage common efforts for the development of electronics; and to promote information exchange and collaboration in the relevant engineering and physics communities

Microelectromechanical Systems for Wireless Radio Front-ends and Integrated Frequency References.

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have great potential in realizing chip-scale integrated devices for energy-efficient analog spectrum processing. This thesis presents the development of a new class of MEMS resonators and filters integrated with CMOS readout circuits for RF front-ends and integrated timing applications. Circuit-level innovations coupled with new device designs allowed for realizing integrated systems with improved performance compared to standalone devices reported in the literature. The thesis is comprised of two major parts. The first part of the thesis is focused on developing integrated MEMS timing devices. Fused silica is explored as a new structural material for fabricating high-Q vibrating micromechanical resonators. A piezoelectric-on-silica MEMS resonator is demonstrated with a high Q of more than 20,000 and good electromechanical coupling. A low phase noise CMOS reference oscillator is implemented using the MEMS resonator as a mechanical frequency reference. Temperature-stable operation of the MEMS oscillator is realized by ovenizing the platform using an integrated heater. In an alternative scheme, the intrinsic temperature sensitivity of MEMS resonators is utilized for temperature sensing, and active compensation for MEMS oscillators is realized by oven-control using a phase-locked loop (PLL). CMOS circuits are implemented for realizing the PLL-based low-power oven-control system. The active compensation technique realizes a MEMS oscillator with an overall frequency drift within +/- 4 ppm across -40 to 70 °C, without the need for calibration. The CMOS PLL circuits for oven-control is demonstrated with near-zero phase noise invasion on the MEMS oscillators. The properties of PLL-based compensation for realizing ultra-stable MEMS frequency references are studied. In the second part of the thesis, RF MEMS devices, including tunable capacitors, high-Q inductors, and ohmic switches, are fabricated using a surface micromachined integrated passive device (IPD) process. Using this process, an integrated ultra-wideband (UWB) filter has been demonstrated, showing low loss and a small form factor. To further address the issue of narrow in-band interferences in UWB communication, a tunable MEMS bandstop filter is integrated with the bandpass filter with more than an octave frequency tuning range. The bandstop filter can be optionally switched off by employing MEMS ohmic switches co-integrated on the same chip.PhDElectrical EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109069/1/zzwu_1.pd

Design and analysis of wideband passive microwave devices using planar structures

A selected volume of work consisting of 84 published journal papers is presented to demonstrate the contributions made by the author in the last seven years of his work at the University of Queensland in the area of Microwave Engineering. The over-arching theme in the author’s works included in this volume is the engineering of novel passive microwave devices that are key components in the building of any microwave system. The author’s contribution covers innovative designs, design methods and analyses for the following key devices and associated systems: Wideband antennas and associated systems Band-notched and multiband antennas Directional couplers and associated systems Power dividers and associated systems Microwave filters Phase shifters Much of the motivation for the work arose from the desire to contribute to the engineering o

EUROSENSORS XVII : book of abstracts

Fundação Calouste Gulbenkien (FCG).Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)