Wireless transceivers in CMOS IC technology. The new wave

Abstract

Starting from a topic initially confined to academic research the field of RF-CMOS integrated circuits has now progressed to the point that it is on the threshold of important commercial deployment. Progress is on several fronts. New MOS-appropriate circuit techniques have been discovered for many of the RF, IF and baseband blocks required in state-of-the-art wireless transceivers. Transceiver architectures have evolved to take advantage of the strengths of CMOS, and to circumvent its weaknesses. Recent CMOS implementations of RF and IF blocks combine analog circuits with switched and digital functions in unprecedented ways. The object of this paper is to summarize the important concepts underlying good practice in the design of RF-CMOS circuits, and the experience to date in integrating transceivers.