Multi-standard semi-digital FIR DAC: A design procedure

A configurable transmitter architecture which enables the integration of the baseband blocks of two recent WiFi standards is presented. The novelty of the architecture is based on flexible finite impulse response digital-to-analog converter whose transfer function can be modified to fit the required transmit masks of the standards being implemented. The design methodology of this configurable FIR DAC is compared and contrasted with a traditional multi-bit digital-to-analog converter design procedure. A discussion of the salient points from circuit implementation perspective is also done in detail. Mainly, the performance metrics that are prioritized for 160MHz IEEE 802.11ac and single carrier IEEE 802.11ad are highlighted; a placement method suited for a FIR DAC is covered and some of the limiting factors associated with the method are also detailed. The architecture and the placement method introduced solve some of the main roadblocks in the implementation of semi-digital FIR DACs with long impulse response.