Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T02:33:22.527Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

8 - Outphasing mm-wave silicon transmitters

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 April 2016

By
Dixian Zhao  and
Patrick Reynaert
Edited by
Hossein Hashemi  and
Sanjay Raman
Dixian Zhao
Affiliation:
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Patrick Reynaert
Affiliation:
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Hossein Hashemi
Affiliation:
University of Southern California
Sanjay Raman
Affiliation:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Get access

Summary

Introduction

Efficiency enhancement and linearization techniques are always the focus of research in power amplifier (PA) design. As the last building block of the transmitter (TX) and the most power-hungry one, the PA has to maintain sufficient linearity to ensure the signal integrity and achieves high efficiency for low power. The conventional TX based on I/Q modulation has variable envelopes in both I and Q paths. It needs to operate at 3–6 dB back-off from the 1-dB compression point (P1dB) depending on the applied modulation for linearity, which inevitably results in low average efficiency. Digital pre-distortion (DPD) has been proposed to correct the AM–AM and AM–PM distortions of the PA by a closed feedback loop [1]. However, the loop stability is usually difficult to ensure, especially for wideband signals. The reported improvement of DPD is limited to approximately 1–2 dB in P1dB and 3%–5% in PAE[1]. The polar modulation (or envelope elimination and restoration) [2] separates the envelope and phase components so that the phase information can be amplified by the highly efficient switching amplifier. The envelope modulator operates at relatively low speed (on the order of the modulation bandwidth) and thus consumes low power. It will modulate the supply of the switching amplifier and restore the amplitude modulation at PA output. The potential challenges of a polar transmitter for high-speed communication are to design an efficient wideband envelope modulator and balance the delay between the envelope and phase paths. The Doherty PA [3] is another efficiency-enhancement technique. It can maintain high efficiency over a broad power range by combining the outputs of a class-AB PA (main amplifier) and a class-C PA (auxiliary amplifier). The issue here is that the main amplifier stays in deep saturation at high power level. Although the gain saturation of the main amplifier can be compensated by the gain expansion of the auxiliary amplifier. The compensation in phase distortion is rather difficult to predict and sensitive to the bias current. Besides, the main and auxiliary paths are very unbalanced, potentially causing problems for high-speed (i.e. Gb/s) communication.

Outphasing has become one of the most popular techniques in the past five years [4– 6]. In outphasing, the linear amplification is achieved by vector summing the outputs of two identical branch PAs.

Type
Chapter
Information
mm-Wave Silicon Power Amplifiers and Transmitters , pp. 302 - 333
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2016

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

[1] S., Kousai, K., Onizuka, T., Yamaguchi, Y., Kuriyama, and M., Nagaoka, “A 28.3 MW PAclosed loop for linearity and efficiency improvement integrated in a +27.1 dBm WCDMA CMOS power amplifier,” Solid-State Circuits, IEEE Journal of, vol. 47, no. 12, pp. 2964– 2973, 2012.Google Scholar
[2] P., Reynaert and M. S. J., Steyaert, “A 1.75-GHz polar modulated CMOS RF power amplifier for GSM-EDGE,” Solid-State Circuits, IEEE Journal of, vol. 40, no. 12, pp. 2598–2608, 2005.
[3] E., Kaymaksut and P., Reynaert, “Transformer-based uneven Doherty power amplifier in 90 nm CMOS for WLAN applications,” Solid-State Circuits, IEEE Journal of, vol. 47, no. 7, pp. 1659–1671, 2012.Google Scholar
[4] A., Ravi, P., Madoglio, H., Xu, et al., “A 2.4-GHz 20–40-MHz channel WLAN digital outphasing transmitter utilizing a delay-based wideband phase modulator in 32-nm CMOS,” Solid-State Circuits, IEEE Journal of, vol. 47, no. 12, pp. 3184–3196, 2012.Google Scholar
[5] S., Moloudi, K., Takinami, M., Youssef, M., Mikhemar, and A., Abidi, “An outphasing power amplifier for a software-defined radio transmitter,” in Solid-State Circuits Conference, 2008. ISSCC 2008. Digest of Technical Papers. IEEE International, 2008, pp. 568–636.Google Scholar
[6] P., Godoy, S., Chung, T., Barton, D., Perreault, and J., Dawson, “A 2.4-GHz, 27-dBm asymmetric multilevel outphasing power amplifier in 65-nm CMOS,” Solid-State Circuits, IEEE Journal of, vol. 47, no. 10, pp. 2372–2384, 2012.Google Scholar
[7] T.-W., Chen, P.-Y., Tsai, J.-Y., Yu, and C.-Y., Lee, “A sub-MW all-digital signal component separator with branch mismatch compensation for OFDM LINC transmitters,” Solid-State Circuits, IEEE Journal of, vol. 46, no. 11, pp. 2514–2523, 2011.Google Scholar
[8] T., LaRocca, J.-C., Liu, and M.-C., Chang, “60 GHz CMOS amplifiers using transformercoupling and artificial dielectric differential transmission lines for compact design,” Solid- State Circuits, IEEE Journal of, vol. 44, no. 5, pp. 1425–1435, 2009.Google Scholar
[9] D., Zhao, S., Kulkarni, and P., Reynaert, “A 60 GHz dual-mode power amplifier with 17.4 dBm output power and 29.3% PAE in 40-nm CMOS,” in ESSCIRC, 2012 Proceedings of the, 2012, pp. 337–340.Google Scholar
[10] C., Liang and B., Razavi, “Transmitter linearization by beamforming,” Solid-State Circuits, IEEE Journal of, vol. 46, no. 9, pp. 1956–1969, 2011.Google Scholar
[11] Y., Li, Z., Li, O., Uyar, et al. “High-throughput signal component separator for asymmetric multi-level outphasing power amplifiers,” Solid-State Circuits, IEEE Journal of, vol. 48, no. 2, pp. 369–380, 2013.Google Scholar
[12] D., Zhao, S., Kulkarni, and P., Reynaert, “A 60-GHz outphasing transmitter in 40-nm CMOS,” Solid-State Circuits, IEEE Journal of, vol. 47, no. 12, pp. 3172–3183, 2012.
[13] W., Gerhard and R., Knoechel, “LINC digital component separator for single and multicarrier W-CDMA signals,” Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 53, no. 1, pp. 274–282, 2005.Google Scholar
[14] R., Staszewski, J., Wallberg, S., Rezeq, et al., “All-digital PLL and transmitter for mobile phones,” Solid-State Circuits, IEEE Journal of, vol. 40, no. 12, pp. 2469–2482, 2005.Google Scholar
[15] S., Voinigescu, High-Frequency Integrated Circuits, The Cambridge RF and Microwave Engineering Series. Cambridge University Press, 2013. [Online]. Available: http://books.google.be/books?id=71dHe1yb9jgC
[16] H., Veenstra, M., Notten, D., Zhao, and J., Long, “A 3-channel true-time delay transmitter for 6 GHz radar-beamforming applications,” in ESSCIRC, 2011 Proceedings of the, 2011, pp. 143–146.Google Scholar
[17] B., Shi and L., Sundstrom, “A 200-MHz IF BiCMOS signal component separator for linear LINC transmitters,” Solid-State Circuits, IEEE Journal of, vol. 35, no. 7, pp. 987–993, 2000.Google Scholar
[18] L., Panseri, L., Romano, S., Levantino, C., Samori, and A., Lacaita, “Low-power signal component separator for a 64-QAM 802.11 LINC transmitter,” Solid-State Circuits, IEEE Journal of, vol. 43, no. 5, pp. 1274–1286, 2008.Google Scholar
[19] D., Pozar, Microwave Engineering, 3rd Edn. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2009.
[20] D., Cox, “Linear amplification with nonlinear components,” Communications, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 22, no. 12, pp. 1942–1945, 1974.Google Scholar
[21] A., Birafane, M., El-Asmar, A., Kouki, M., Helaoui, and F., Ghannouchi, “Analyzing LINC systems,” Microwave Magazine, IEEE, vol. 11, no. 5, pp. 59–71, 2010.Google Scholar
[22] A., Pham and C., Sodini, “A 5.8 GHz, 47% efficiency, linear outphase power amplifier with fully integrated power combiner,” in Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits (RFIC) Symposium, 2006 IEEE, 2006, pp. 4–160.Google Scholar
[23] P., Godoy, D., Perreault, and J., Dawson, “Outphasing energy recovery amplifier with resistance compression for improved efficiency,” Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 57, no. 12, pp. 2895–2906, 2009.Google Scholar
[24] F., Raab, “Efficiency of outphasing RF power-amplifier systems,” Communications, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 33, no. 10, pp. 1094–1099, 1985.Google Scholar
[25] S., Hamedi-Hagh and C., Salama, “CMOS wireless phase-shifted transmitter,” Solid-State Circuits, IEEE Journal of, vol. 39, no. 8, pp. 1241–1252, 2004.Google Scholar
[26] H., Chireix, “High power outphasing modulation,” Radio Engineers, Proceedings of the Institute of, vol. 23, no. 11, pp. 1370–1392, 1935.Google Scholar
[27] I., Hakala, D., Choi, L., Gharavi, et al., “A 2.14-GHz Chireix outphasing transmitter,” Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 53, no. 6, pp. 2129–2138, 2005.Google Scholar
[28] H., Xu, Y., Palaskas, A., Ravi, et al., “A flip-chip-packaged 25.3 dBm class-D outphasing power amplifier in 32 nm CMOS for WLAN application,” Solid-State Circuits, IEEE Journal of, vol. 46, no. 7, pp. 1596–1605, 2011.Google Scholar
[29] S. C., Cripps, RF Power Amplifiers for Wireless Communications, 2nd Edn. Artech House Microwave Library. Norwood, MA, USA: Artech House, Inc., 2006.
[30] I., Sarkas, A., Balteanu, E., Dacquay, A., Tomkins, and S., Voinigescu, “A 45 nm SOI CMOS class-D mm-wave PA with >10 VPP differential swing,” in Solid-State Circuits Conference Digest of Technical Papers (ISSCC), 2012 IEEE International, 2012, pp. 88–90.Google Scholar
[31] K., Okada, K., Kondou, M., Miyahara, et al., “Full four-channel 6.3-Gb/s 60-GHz CMOS transceiver with low-power analog and digital baseband circuitry,” Solid-State Circuits, IEEE Journal of, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 46–65, 2013.Google Scholar
[32] M., Gustavsson, J. J., Wikner, and N. N., Tan, CMOS Data Converters for Communications. Norwell, MA, USA: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2000.
[33] X., Zhang, L., Larson, P., Asbeck, and P., Nanawa, “Gain/phase imbalance-minimization techniques for LINC transmitters,” Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 49, no. 12, pp. 2507–2516, 2001.Google Scholar
[34] T.-S., Chu, J., Roderick, and H., Hashemi, “An integrated ultra-wideband timed array receiver in 0.13 µm CMOS using a path-sharing true time delay architecture,” Solid-State Circuits, IEEE Journal of, vol. 42, no. 12, pp. 2834–2850, 2007.Google Scholar
[35] S., Kulkarni, D., Zhao, and P., Reynaert, “Design of an optimal layout polyphase filter for millimeter-wave quadrature LO generation,” Circuits and Systems II: Express Briefs, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 60, no. 4, pp. 202–206, 2013.Google Scholar
[36] W., Chan and J., Long, “A 58–65 GHz neutralized CMOS power amplifier with PAE above 10% at 1-v supply,” Solid-State Circuits, IEEE Journal of, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 554–564, 2010.Google Scholar
[37] S.-S., Myoung, I.-K., Lee, J.-G., Yook, K., Lim, and J., Laskar, “Mismatch detection and compensation method for the LINC system using a closed-form expression,” Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 56, no. 12, pp. 3050–3057, 2008.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×