“Mixed Signal VLSI DESIGN:

ISSUES & APPLICATIONS”

Arun N. Chandorkar
Department of Electrical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay
Powai, Mumbai -400076,India
E-Mail: anc@[Link]

16th March 2009

June 8, 2020 IIT Bombay 1

 Mixed-signal systems

• Analog/mixed-signal chips are those :

that at least partially deal with input signals
whose precise values matter
• This broad class includes RF, Analog, Analog-to-Digital
and Digital-to-Analog conversion
&
• More recently, a large number of Mixed-Signal chips
where at least part of the chip design needs to
measure signals with high precision.
These chips have very different Design and
Process Technology demands than
normal Digital circuits.

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 Mixed Signal VLSI is possible in
SoC form
 What is a System-on-Chip?
---------------These days, It is a Mixed Signal Chip in real life

 • Whatever marketing department believes to

be more complex than the usual state-of-the art

 • As a general rule today’s ‘SoC’s will be

components of tomorrow SoC

 General characteristics:
– High complexity
– Heterogeneity
_ Of Blocks (Logic, Analog, μC, +DSP, +memory, +software….)
__ Of Technology (logic, +RF, +DRAM, +NVM…)

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Design Drivers and Design Methodology Gaps.

Time-to-Market
Pressures Abstract

Designer
----------------------
Design Methodologies Increasing Range
---------------------
Tools and Flows

Detail
Shrinking Process
Technologies

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 Typical Application: Intel
PXA800F

Industry’s First
Complete GSM/GPRS
Class solution
• Intel® XScale ™ Core
• Intel® Micro Signal
Architecture
• Intel® On-Chip Flash
Memory
• GSM/GPRS
Communications Stack,
RTOS and applications code
for a single-chip
mobile solution

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 8-bit DAC

Specifications:
5 V supply
2 micron CMOS
50 M samples/second
8 bit resolution
0-5 V out

[Link]
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 Gilbert Cell

Gilbert Cell
Specifications:
5 V supply
2 micron BJT
100+ MHz operation

[Link]
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 RF VLSI Design:
Issues and Applications

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 RF Systems for VLSI Design
Global System for Mobile communications (GSM: originally from
Groupe Spécial Mobile) is the most popular standard for mobile phones in the
world.
GSM is a cellular network, which means that mobile phones connect to it by
searching for cells in the immediate vicinity. GSM networks operate in four
different frequency ranges. Most GSM networks operate in the 900 MHz or
1800 MHz bands. Some countries in the Americas (including Canada and the
United States) use the 850 MHz and 1900 MHz bands because the 900 and
1800 MHz frequency bands were already allocated.
The rarer 400 and 450 MHz frequency bands are assigned in some countries,
notably Scandinavia, where these frequencies were previously used for first-
generation systems.
In the 900 MHz band the uplink frequency band is 890–915 MHz, and the
downlink frequency band is 935–960 MHz. This 25 MHz bandwidth is
subdivided into 124 carrier frequency channels, each spaced 200 kHz apart.
Time division multiplexing is used to allow eight full-rate or sixteen half-rate
speech channels per radio frequency channel. There are eight radio timeslots
(giving eight burst periods) grouped into what is called a TDMA frame. Half
rate channels use alternate frames in the same timeslot. The channel data
rate is 270.833 kbit/s, and the frame duration is 4.615 ms.

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 RF Systems ( Continued)
Code division multiple access (CDMA) is a channel access method utilized
by various radio communication technologies.
W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) is a type of 3G
cellular network. W-CDMA is the higher speed transmission protocol used in
the UMTS system.
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is one of the
third-generation (3G) cell phone technologies. Currently, the most common
form uses W-CDMA .
Wi-Fi is a Wireless technology brand owned by the Wi-Fi Alliance intended to
improve the interoperability of wireless.
WiMAX, the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is a
telecommunications technology aimed at providing wireless data over long
distances in a variety of ways, from point-to-point links to full mobile cellular
type access. It is based on the IEEE 802.16 standard, which is also called
WirelessMAN..
A wireless LAN or WLAN is a wireless local area network, which is the linking of
two or more computers without using wires. WLAN utilizes spread-spectrum or
OFDM modulation technology
DCS1800 - Digital Cellular System 1800MHz. Digital Cellular System 1800MHz
is a term given to what is now known as GSM1800

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 Application…. CABLE MODEM

Block Diagram Of Cable Network

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 Data rate :Home to Internet

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 Cable Modem Basics
 Cable TV (CATV) Network serves as the Internet Service
Provider (ISP)
 Cable Modem modulates/transmits and demodulates/receives
to/from a CATV channel
 Downstream: data received at the modem is communicated
to one or more PCs on a LAN via Ethernet, USB, PCI Bus, etc.
 Upstream: data requests from the PC are transmitted through
the modem to the CATV network via coaxial cable, phone line
or wireless.
 CATV data service interfaces to the Internet via Cable Modem
Termination System (CMTS )

Gina Colangelo
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 Cable Modem Network Overview
 Headend: DOCSIS-certified CMTS (Cable Modem Termination System)
 One Headend supports @ 2000 Cable Modem Users on a single TV Channel

 CMTS interfaces the CATV network to the Internet

 CMTS output channel combined with TV video signals

 CATV Network to Subscriber via coaxial cable
 One-to-Two splitter: One signal to Set Top Box (STB), other to Cable Modem
 Cable Modem
 One Modem can support up to 16 users in a local-area network

 PC/Ethernet Card
 Cable Modem connected to PC via Ethernet, USB, PCI Bus, etc

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Data Over Cable Service Interface Specifications (DOCSIS) is an international standard Gina Colangelo
 Cable Modem Architecture
 Transmit/Upstream
 QPSK/QAM Modulator performs:
 QPSK/QAM-16 modulation
 Reed-Solomon Encoding
 D/A Conversion
 Up-conversion to the selected
frequency/channel
 Receive/Downstream
 RF Tuner
 Converts TV Channel to a fixed
lower frequency (6-40MHz)
 QAM Demodulator performs:
 A/D conversion
 QAM-64/256 demodulation
 MPEG frame synchronization
 Error Correction (Reed-Solomon)
 MAC - Media Access Control
 Implemented partially in
hardware and software
 Data and Control Logic
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Gina Colangelo
 Receive Path
 Diplex Filter – splits/combines bands for 2-way capability on CATV systems
 Tuner – isolates TV channel and mixes it down to Analog IF (6-40MHz)
 Analog to Digital Conversion
 Decimation Filters to down-sample to the symbol rate (e.g. CIC)
 QAM Demodulator
 MPEG Frame synchronization
 Automatic Gain Control (AGC)
 Equalizer – removes distortions, and cancels echoes or multi-path conditions
 Carrier Removal
 Automatic Frequency Control (AFC)

QAM Demodulator
TUNER
Diplex Analog RF Analog IF Decimate Dig BB
Tunable ADC QAM
Filter LNA VGA LPF to Symbol
Demodulation
BPF Rate
(Internal or
Fixed
External to Variable Freq
Modem) Freq

Digital Ctrl Logic/Signals Digital Ctrl Logic/Signals

June 8, 2020 Generic Receive IIT

Path of a Cable Modem
Bombay Gina Colangelo
20
 Adaptive Digital Modulation

INTEL
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 Media Access Control (MAC)
 MAC layer provides general requirements for many
cable modems subscribers to share a single upstream
data channel for transmission:
 Communication layer between Cable Modem and
CMTS
 Allocates Time-slots for transmission (upstream BW)

 Assigns upstream frequency and data rate

 Defines collision detection and retransmission

 Runs calibrations on TX levels and time references

(compensates for cable delays and losses)
 Includes ability to integrate encryption of user data

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Gina Colangelo
 Cable vs. DSL
 Bandwidth/Data Rates
 Cable
 Faster theoretical speeds (@ 30+ Mbps)
 Average Plan: 6 Mbps down, 384 Kbps up ($43/mo + cable plan)
 Scales by the number of subscribers using a particular channel
 This problem can by resolved by the cable company adding more
channels
 DSL
 Slower data rates (< 10 Mbps, except for the unpopular VDSL)
 Average Plan: 1.5 Mbps down, and 128 kbps up ($35/mo + phone
line)
 More consistent speeds
 Performance/Quality

 Cable: designed to provide digital signals at a particular quality

(variable gain on upstream provides proper signal strength)

 DSL: quality depends on distance from central office

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Gina Colangelo
 Mixer
 Single Stage
1. Converts input frequency to intermediate frequency in
single stage
2. Problem of reverse isolation
3. Image rejection is poor
 Multi Stage
1. Converts input frequency to intermediate frequency in
multiple stage
2. Image rejection is good with better selectivity and flat IF
response
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 Block Diagram of RF Tuner

Base Band
Mixer 1 Mixer 2 Output
IF1 IF2
LNA Filter Filter
Input 1.2 GHz 36 MHz/44 MHz
500 MHz-
900 MHz
VCO1
VCO2

Frequency Image Rejection

Synthesizer Architecture
(Programmable)

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 RF Tuner…..Wide Band LNA

Parameter Values

Input Frequency 44-

900MHz
Noise Figure 3dB
Current consumption 2.5mA
Conversion Gain 7.4dB

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 Image Reject Architecture

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 Band Pass Filter

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 Quadrature VCO

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 LNA Layout

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 Mixer Layout

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 Complete RF Tuner Layout

Chip Area
3mm X 3mm

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 A Multi-Standard ADC
for
GSM/WCDMA/Bluetooth

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 Presentation Overview
 Need for multi-standard receivers
 Direct conversion receiver for multi-
standard
 Theory of sigma delta ADC
 Proposed sigma delta modulator
architecture for multi-standard receivers

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 Need for Multi-standard Receivers

 Need for higher data rates

 Third generation wireless standards to
support higher data rates over long range
 Bluetooth for short range wireless
information transfer
 Third generation mobile devices need to
support second generation
 Single chip integration to keep costs low.
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 Direct Conversion Receiver Architecture
 IF section is not required
Pros  Don’t require high Q-factor band
pass filters for band selection and
image rejection
 Suitable for single chip integration
Antenna  Suitable for multi-standard receivers

LNA Mixer

ADC

Low pass filter VGA

Channel
Selection Filter
Frequency
Synthesizer

 DC offset because of local oscillator

Cons signal leakage

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 Multi-standard ADC
Multi-standard ADC requirements

Parameter WCDMA Bluetooth GSM

Bandwidth 3.84MHz 2MHz 100kHz
Dynamic Range 55dB 50dB 86dB

Why sigma delta ADC?

 Allows trade-off between bandwidth and
dynamic range
 Less sensitive to circuit imperfections
 Relaxed anti-alias filtering requirements
suitable for multi-standard operation
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 Theory of Sigma-delta ADC

u(n) y(n) v(n) v(n) u’(n) Low pass u(n)

+ Comparator Integrator
filter
Channel

Delta Demodulator
Integrator

Delta Modulator

e(n)

u(n) Low pass v(n)

+ Integrator + filter

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Sigma delta modulator
 Signals in Delta Modulator

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 Signals in Sigma-delta Modulator

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 Architecture of the Proposed Modulator
Parameter WCDMA Bluetooth GSM
a1 0.8 0.8 0.8
a2 1.0 2.0 2.0
a3 1.0 4.0 4.0
b1 1.0 0.5 0.5
Parameter WCDMA Bluetooth GSM c1 1.0 0.7 0.7
c2 1.0 0.2 0.2
Bandwidth 3.84MHz 2MHz 100kHz c3 0.1 0.1 0.1
g1 0.3 0.1 0
Dynamic Range 55dB 50dB 86dB
Quantizer levels 8 2 2
u(n)
Sampling frequency 100MHz 100MHz 20MHz
b1
-g1

Delay-free
- Delaying y(n) n-Level v(n)
+ Delaying
Integrator
c2
+ Integrator c3 Integrator a3
+ Quantizer

a2
c1
-c2
a1

DAC
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 RF Systems as products
(Applications)

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 This Talk

IC Mixer

VGA
Quad.
0° Gen.
LNA VCO
90°

Mixer VGA

A CMOS Direct Downconverter with +78dBm

A 750mV 15KHz 1/f Noise Corner 51 dBm IIP2 Direct
Minimum
Injection IIP2 for
Locked 3G Cell-Phones
dividers for in
Quadrature
Conversion Front-End for GSM 90nm CMOS
Generation in Direct Conversion Receivers
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 CMOS Direct Conversion front-end
• Fully Differential

Gm
Topology
• DC offset
VGA I
cancellation loop
0°
• 0.18m CMOS LNA 2 VCO
Technology
90°
• Double Frequency VGA Q
VCO
• Second-Harmonic

Gm
Injection Locking
Dividers Servo-loop around the VGA implements a 3kHz
high pass filter
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 Performance Summary
NF 4.2dB * 5.6dB ** VGA LNA
I&Q DIV 9,5% 24%
IIP3 out-of-band -2dBm 19%

Minimum IIP2 +44.8dBm

VCO
Gain 47dB 9,5%
I&Q Mixer
PN@135MHz -155dBc/Hz 38%

Power 38mW
Active Area 16mm2
Power consumption
Technology 0.18m 6M breakdown
CMOS

* Integrated between 200 kHz and 1.92 MHz

** Integrated
June 8, 2020 between 10 kHz and 1.92 MHz
IIT Bombay 45
 Injection Locked Balanced Dividers
divide LO_I
VCO + by 2
@ 0 C
L
Vo+ Vo-

20 LO_Q
- divide
by 2
2.0
1.8 /0≈42%
1.6
Otput Amplitude, [V]

1.4
1.2
1.0 VDC
0.8 IDC
0.6
0.4
0.2
Fully balanced
Increasing IDC
0.0 multiplier suppress
1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 2 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 the DC current
Output Frequency, [GHz]

June 8, 2020 42% measured locking range with Qtank = 14

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 Towards highly integrated
Multiband Multistandard
Receivers

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 Universal Mobile Terminals
GSM1800/1900
CDMA2000 HiSWANa, 802.11a,
GSM900 802.11b/g HiperLAN2
GPS UMTS 802.16a

Ultimate
1 2 3 4 5 6 f [GHz] solution: Zero-IF
fully integrated
n
Analog BB ADC Multistandard RX
Switch
plexer LNA I Q
& SAW n
Analog BB ADC
IC

 Mixer and analog base-band blocks are easily re-configurable

 LNA is the most critical block for multistandard operation
June 8, 2020 IIT Bombay 48
 A 0.13 m CMOS Front-End for
DCS1800/UMTS/802.11b-g with
Multi-band Positive Feedback
Low Noise Amplifier
VLSI Symposium on Circuits, June 2005

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 Multi-Standard Scenario

DCS1800 UMTS IEEE802.11b/g

230MHz 230MHz

1805 1880 2110 2170 2400 2485 f[MHz]

Digital Personal Communication System Universal Mobile Terminal System Wireless Local Area Network

Applications:
Multi
• Cellular (DCS1800) Standard
• Data (IEEE802.11b/g) Receiver
• Mixed voice/data (UMTS)

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 Performance summary

IEEE802.11b
DCS1800 UMTS
/g
Gain (high / low)
28.5 / 13.5 29.5 / 14.5 23.5 / 8.5
[dB]
NF [dB] 5.2 5.6 5.8

IIP2 [dBm] 50 51 54

IIP3 [dBm] -7.5 0 -4.8

Current Consumption: 20mA

Voltage Supply: 1.8V
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 Market Trends

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 Mobile Radio Modem

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 Cost Challenge

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 RF Transceiver

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 Front End RF Integration

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 RF Scaling Challenges

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 Scaling Example

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 Multi Mode and Multi Band

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 Emerging Applications

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 RF Design Challenges

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 RF Design challenges

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 Acknowledgements
My Graduate students in last 5 Years
Who worked on RF System Designs:
Sumantra Seth, Atul Kotwal, Veeresh Babu,
[Link], Prashant Ghatge,
A. Shabbir, S Sudhakar, Madhav Kumar,
T. [Link], Niraj Shrivastava & Madan Lal
AND
Many Websites as referred in the PPTs
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 Thank-you

June 8, 2020 IIT Bombay 79