Week 1: May 6-10, 2024

Week 2: May 13-17, 2024

Registration deadline: Extended to April 26, 2024
Payment deadline: April 29, 2024

TEACHING HOURS

Monday, May 6

Tuesday, May 7

Wednesday, May 8

Thursday, May 9

Friday, May 10

Monday, May 13

Tuesday, May 14

Wednesday, May 15

Thursday, May 16

Friday, May 17

RF IC Design
On-Line Class
May 6-17, 2024

Building Blocks and Sub System for Wireless Transceivers (8 modules)
Antonio Liscidini, University of Toronto

After a first introduction of the requirements of a wireless transceiver, the main building blocks and sub-systems will be analyzed with some emphasis on of ultra-low power techniques for IoT applications. On the RF signal path low noise amplifiers, mixer topologies and base band filters will be presented. Beside the most common approaches, particular solutions oriented to ultra-low power systems will be included such as, quadrature low noise amplifiers, self-oscillating mixer, complex/poly-phase filters.
The course  will continue with the analysis of the frequency generation required to perform signal down/up conversion in the radio. Different oscillator topologies, and quadrature generation schemes will be presented. After that an overview on phase locked loop will be provided.
The first part of the course will end with a module dedicated on different transceiver architectures especially for ultra low power applications.

Power Amplifiers: System Level
Patrick Reynaert, KU Leuven, Belgium

Abstract.

Power Amplifiers: Circuit Level
Patrick Reynaert, KU Leuven, Belgium

Abstract.

Microwave Circuit Design: Actives
Patrick Reynaert, KU Leuven, Belgium

Abstract.

Microwave Circuit Design: Passives
Patrick Reynaert, KU Leuven, Belgium

Abstract.

Microwave Circuit Design: Transformers
Patrick Reynaert, KU Leuven, Belgium

Abstract.

Microwave Circuit Design: Examples
Patrick Reynaert, KU Leuven, Belgium

Abstract.

mm-Wave Circuit Design (4 modules)
Bodhisatwa Sadhu, IBM, USA

Millimeter(mm)-Wave phased arrays are becoming a differentiating technology in modern wireless communication and imaging systems. The next four modules will cover key aspects of silicon-based mm-wave phased-array IC design and package integration. We will begin with an overview of the theory and intuition behind phased arrays; we will then discuss different silicon-based phased-array architectures and key phased-array building blocks, including phase shifters, variable-gain amplifiers, combiners, and splitters. Finally, we will discuss the integration of phased array ICs with antennas in phased-array antenna modules.

5G mm-Wave Transmitter Array Design Examples
Hua Wang, ETHZ, Switzerland

This lecture will cover the design considerations with a particular emphasis on transmitter arrays. The antenna active impedance and load variations due to antenna coupling will be introduced. On-chip power and impedance sensors for built-in-self-testing (BiST) will be presented. Thermal considerations and thermal modeling for mm-Wave transmitter array designs will be covered as well. We will have an in-depth study on a mm-Wave transmitter array with details.

5G Digital Power Amplifiers and Transmitters
Hua Wang, ETHZ, Switzerland

This lecture will introduce digital power amplifiers and RF power DACs as well as digital transmitters. The basic operation principals and different digital power cell types will be first introduced. Linearization techniques for digital power cells will be covered. Next, from signal construction perspective, polar, quadrature, and multi-phase architectures will be presented. Then, from efficiency enhancement perspective, different types of digital transmitters, in particular digital Doherty transmitters will be studied. We will present multiple digital transmitter designs including a mm-Wave mixed-signal Doherty transmitter to radically extend the dynamic range and linearity.