ECE 642 - Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit Design
Course Description
Transistor-level design of circuits for wideband RF front-ends. An overview of 2G (GSM) and 3G (W-CDMA) standards and relevant radio architectures is presented, with key system specifications mapped onto circuit specifications. On-chip passive component design and simulation aimed at maximizing RF performance is discussed in detail. Circuit examples include: wideband preamplifiers and gain blocks, I-Q up/downconverters, voltage- and digitally-controlled oscillators (VCO/DCO), and power amplifier drivers. Design of circuit blocks for mm-wave frequency applications and RF testing, packaging and characterization are also discussed (time permitting).
Instructor
Professor
John
R.
Long
Office:
E5
4022
Prerequisites
Functional understanding of analog circuit design and semiconductor devices, e.g., ECE 444, and 331 or equivalents. Analog circuit simulation experience (e.g., SPICE) is required.
Lecture topics
Weeks 1 and 2
- Overview of radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) design.
- Circuit specifications derived for 2G (GSM) and 3G (W-CDMA) standards.
- Transceiver link performance analysis.
- Assignment 1: Transceiver link analysis.
Weeks 3 and 4
- Characterization of silicon MOSFETs and SiGe-HBTs, and CMOS/BiCMOS technologies for RF and high-speed applications.
- Feedback and wideband preamplifiers.
- Assignment 2: RF amplifier design.
Weeks 5 and 6
- On-chip passive components: capacitors, varactors, resistors, interconnect and transmission lines, inductors, transformers.
- Assignment 3: On-chip passive component simulation and design using ADS-Momentum.
Weeks 7 and 8
- Oscillators. L-C oscillator topologies.
- Resonant tanks and oscillator tuning.
- VCO/DCO design for RF transceivers up to mm-wave frequencies.
- Assignment 4: VCO and DCO design for PLL synthesizers.
Weeks 9 and 10
- Up and down conversion mixers.
- Linear multipliers.
- Mixer input and commutation stages.
- RFIC approaches for low voltage/low power and high linearity mixing.
- I/Q mixers and quadrature up/ downconversion.
- LNA/mixer interfacing.
- Assignment 5: IC mixer design.
Week 11
- RFIC design for mm-wave frequency applications.
Week 12
- RFIC packaging, testing and characterization.
- Course wrap-up.
References
- B. Razavi, RF Microelectronics, 2nd edition, Prentice-Hall, 2011.
- IEEE Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits virtual journal
- D. Pozar, Microwave Engineering, 4th edition, Wiley, 2011.
- S.P. Voinigescu, High-Frequency Integrated Circuits, Cambridge University Press, 2013.
Also: IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits and Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques; Proceedings of the ISSCC, CICC, IMS/RFIC Symposium, BCTM, ESSCIRC, and CSICS conferences.
Grading
Project assignments: 5 for 50% total (hand-in required)
Final examination: 50%