RF transceivers 2: design

• General introduction to RF transceiver circuits
• RF design methods and design tools
• IC process and devices
• RF subcircuits (incl. specs): LNA, PA, mixer, oscillator, filter, additional circuits if interest & time permits.

Lecture 1 Introduction, course organization, software description and installation, description on design methods
Lecture 2 IC technology description, device design in an IC technology, challenges/assignments presentation
Lecture 3 System design and Architecture
Lecture 4 RF Low-noise amplifiers (LNA)
Lecture 5 RF Power amplifiers (PA)
Lecture 6 RF Mixers
Lecture 7 RF Oscillators
Lecture 8 RF Synthesizers
Lecture 9 Lab 1
Lecture 10 Lab 2
Lecture 11 mm-Wave Low noise amplifiers (LNA)
Lecture 12 mm-Wave Power amplifiers (PA)
Lecture 13 mm-Wave mixers
Lecture 14 mm-Wave Oscillators
Lecture 15 mm-Wave Synthesizers
Lecture 16 Extra lab session, excursion, or a guest lecture (TBD)

1. Explain the properties of common modern IC technologies and devices and their relation to RF/Millimeter-wave transceiver circuits.
2. Explain and effectively use appropriate RF/Millimeter-wave transceiver circuit design methods.
3. Explain and effectively use advanced CAD tools in the design and verification of RF/Millimeter-wave transceiver circuits.
4. Explain, analyze and design the following RF/Millimeter-wave circuit types using modern IC technology according to predefined specifications: low-noise amplifiers, power amplifiers, mixer, VCO, and filters.

Presentation online

This course assumes that students have an understanding of analog circuit design as it will involve analysis and synthesis of RF and Millimeter-wave circuits. Knowledge on various RF system architectures is not compulsory but recommended.

• RF Microelectronics (Behzad Razavi)
• Book: The Design of CMOS Radio-Frequency Integrated Circuits (Thomas Lee)
• Presentations, assignments, reading material, videos, exercises:

Lectures, presentations, challenges