First assignment: RF "tin can" telephone
In this assignment you, together with your team, will design an RF transceiver using QUCS-s and NGSPICE for a modern equivalent of the "tin can" telephone. This assignment is the basis for the lab where you realise this transceiver using breadboard components that approximate IC design but at low (RF) frequencies. Details of the assignment can be found in the following presentation:
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Second assignment: mm-Wave high data rate link
In this second assignment you, together with your team, will design the circuit and layout of a mm-wave transceiver for high data rate communication using Cadence software, achieving a data rate of over 50Gbps, outperforming any current WiFi product. Obviously, when realized, this product might make you rich beyond your wildest imagination, but we're assuming that you are willing to take this risk ;-).
This assignment uses the freePDK45 library, an open source "virtual" technology that is representative for mainstream 45nm CMOS IC processes. Since the focus of this course is on circuit design, the architecture and specifications for each of the subcircuits are already provided below. The background calculations for the system specs and architecture can be found in these two spreadsheets (for your information/entertainment only, you won't need this for the assignment):
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System specifications
| Parameter | Min | Typical | Max | Unit | Comment |
| Frequency | 60.99 | 61 | 61.01 | GHz | |
| Bandwidth | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | GHz | |
| Range | 10 | m | |||
| Transmit power | 8 | 9 | 10 | dBm | Available at antenna |
| Data rate | 50 | Gbps | Raw data rate |
System design
| Parameter | Min | Typical | Max | Unit | Comment |
| Bandwidth efficiency | 10 | bps/Hz | |||
| Modulation | QAM 1024 | ||||
| TX antenna gain | 20 | dB | |||
| Rx antenna gain | 20 | dB | |||
| Receiver sensitivity | -38 | dBm | |||
| Channel bandwidth | 6 | GHz | |||
| SNR | 38 | dB | |||
| Capacity | 75 | Gbps | |||
| Co-channel interference rejection | -80 | dBm | |||
| Adjacent channel rejection | -70 | dBm | |||
| Alternate channel rejection | -60 | dBm | |||
| Blocker rejection (out of band) | -40 | dBm | |||
| Two-tone interferer rejection | -30 | dBm | |||
Architecture
RX: Sliding IF, LO1=40.66GHz, LO2=20.33GHz, signal path: LNA, mixer 1, mixer 2, IF filter/amplifier
TX: Sliding IF, LO1=40.66GHz, LO2=20.33GHz, signal path: IF amplifiers, mixer 3, mixer 4, signal combiner, PA
Block specification
LNA
| Parameter | Min | Typ | Max | Unit | Comment |
| Gp,av | 10 | 11 | 12 | dB | |
| NF | 4 | dB | |||
| IP3 | -10 | dBm | |||
| Pdc | 3 | mW | |||
PA
| Parameter | Min | Typ | Max | Unit | Comment |
| Gp,av | 20 | 21 | 22 | dB | |
| NF | 25 | dB | |||
| P1dB | 13 | dBm | |||
| Pdc | 100 | mW | |||
RF Mixer (mixer 1, mixer 4): so only design the high frequency mixer in either transmitter or receiver
| Parameter | Min | Typ | Max | Unit | |
| Gp,av | 8 | 9 | 10 | dB | |
| NF_SSB | 10 | dB | |||
| IP3 | 0 | dBm | |||
| Pdc | 2 | mW | |||
RF Oscillator (VCO1): so only design the high frequency VCO for either transmitter or receiver
| Parameter | Min | Typ | Max | Unit | |
| f0 | |||||
40.66
| GHz | |||||
| Pout | 0 | dBm | |||
| Phase noise SSB | -90 | dBc/Hz @ 1MHz | |||
| Pdc | 2 | mW | |||
RF Divider (Synth): only design the first frequency divider for either transmitter or receiver, providing I&Q outputs
| Parameter | Min | Typ | Max | Unit | |
| f0 | |||||
40.66
| GHz | |||||
| Pout | 0 | dBm | |||
| Phase noise SSB | -96 | dBc/Hz @ 1MHz | |||
| Pdc | 2 | mW | |||