Project Description

In this project we will design and simulate the RF front-end circuits of a direct conversion receiver for the IEEE 802.11b wireless LAN system. The block diagram of a quadrature receiver is shown below.

The project will include the design of all blocks shown in dashed rectangular box.

Assignments: The design is split in 5 assignments which will be described on the project webpage. After each assignment you will be asked to submit your schematics and some simulation results. The submission dates and the material you need to submit will be posted on the webpage.

Final Report: At the end of the project you need to write a final project report.

Groups: You may work either individually or in a group of maximum 2 students. Different groups have to work independently!

Grading: The grade of your project will depend on the relative performance and quality of your circuit designs compared to the others. The grade will also take into account the number of students in the group. You will be graded on your final report.

Supply Voltage& Process:

· Supply Voltage: 1.8 V

· TSMC 0.18 um CMOS. Design-kit is available in the VLSI teaching labs. However we will not use the model from the design-kit but rather the following model: TSMC018_teaching.scs . Everybody must use this model. This file just includes the models for nmos and pmos transistors.

· For integrated inductors use the following (simplified) model: Inductor; it includes series resistance and parasitic capacitance.

· For integrated capacitors please use the following model: Capacitor; it includes the parasitic bottom plate capacitance.

Design Goal: Low Power Consumption

Design for minimum possible power consumption.

Publications & Datasheets: There are many publications on 802.11b transceivers and several commercial IC vendors publish their datasheets on the web. There are some examples in the links.