EE4605 Integrated circuits and systems for wireless applications

This course targets the design of integrated circuits and systems for wireless applications. Upon completion, you are able to design and analyze IC’s for wireless systems.

The course starts with the discussion of analogue intensive wireless systems. With this knowledge, we step to the (RF)IC implementation level and provide detailed / dedicated design techniques/considerations for:

• Wireless receiver and transmitter architectures (HW1)
• Low-noise, high linearity RF Mixers
• Amplifier classes and the design of energy efficient transmitters (HW3).
• on-chip high Q-passive components, capacitors, varactors, inductors, transformers and transmission lines
• Voltage controlled RF oscillators with low phase noise (HW4)
• ESD protection, on-chip isolation, IC floor / IO planning and testing

Exercises and projects are simulation-based using Cadence and Keysight’s-ADS simulator. Aspects of packaging, CAD and RF testing relevant to wireless / mm-wave design are also emphasized.

Study Goals

• Understand how to (optimally) design RF/wireless components and circuits. 

This includes:

• How to design, dimension, and layout passive components like: PCB and on-chip transmission lines, capacitors, inductors, and transformers. 
• How to bias and scale active devices while understanding their basic operation and equivalent models. 
• How to stabilize active devices while maintaining their RF performance. 
• How to design matching networks for maximum gain, low noise, and high linearity.
• How to design for maximum efficiency, bandwidth, ACPR, and lowest EVM.
• Know how to use RF/Microwave design tools like Keysight’s ADS, Momentum (in addition to Cadence) to design RF integrated circuits and systems.
• Understand the RF/microwave-specific data representations and analysis tools.
• To understand the full design cycle from RF/wireless concept, RFIC design, to the final testing.
• Being able to analyze and design integrated RF transceiver front-end circuits, like LNAs, mixers, and PAs.

Teachers

Last modified: 2024-03-26