Jochen Dederer

Highly compact impulse UWB transmitter for high-resolution movement detection

In this paper the hybrid integration of an FCC-compliant fifth-order Gaussian derivative impulse generator IC together with a compact ultra-wideband Vivaldi antenna is presented. The setup results in a compact FCC-compliant impulse UWB transmitter. Measurements of the impulse shape in time and spectral domain are shown. With this transmitter a movement detection and the precise measurement of the movement deviation value by a correlation measurement technique is presented. This shows the ability of the UWB radar system to operate as a movement detection sensor. The measurements include a breath rate measurement of a human being.

A Compact Ultra-wideband Radar for Medical Applications

In this article an impulse based radar system operating in the ultra-wideband frequency range between 3.1 GHz and 10.6 GHz is presented. The radar sensor is intended to be used in medical diagnostics. In principle the realized radar could be applied to various applications, especially due to the compact overall size and the size of the radar front-ends in particular. One focus of the paper is on a detailed description of the system architecture with the correlation receiver and the time delay adjustment using a variable phase setting for the trigger signals. Furthermore, the key components of the radar, the monolithically integrated pulse generator and the planar antenna, are explained. The capabilities of the radar and the correlation principle are shown in different validation measurements, where a metal plate is used as an ideal target. In addition, two different methods for movement detection were demonstrated successfully measuring the respiration and the heart beat of a test person. Index Terms – pulse radar, ultra-wideband, correlation receiver, medical diagnosis

A fully monolithic 3.1-10.6 GHz UWB Si/SiGe HBT Impulse-UWB correlation receiver

A 3.1-to-10.6 GHz Impulse-UWB correlation receiver in a 0.8 mum Si/SiGe HBT technology is presented. The fully monolithic receiver with 0.8mm2 chip size comprises a low-noise amplifier with maximum noise figure of 3.2 dB, two single-ended to differential converters, an analog correlator and a template pulse generator approximating the fifth-derivative of a Gaussian impulse. It operates with pulse repetition rates up to 900 MHz (IF bandwidth limited) with a total power consumption of 200 mW.

Highly Compact 3.1 - 10.6 GHz UWB LNA in SiGe HBT Technology

We present the design, implementation and measurement of a low noise amplifier (LNA) in a low cost 0.8 mum SiGe heterojunction bipolar technology (HBT). The measured noise figure is between 2.1 dB and 2.6 dB in the FCC-allocated bandwidth for ultra-wideband (UWB) systems. The circuit delivers 19.6 dB peak gain with gain variations of 1.3 dB within the entire band from 3.1 to 10.6 GHz. Broadband noise and power matching has been achieved with a cascode topology using resistive shunt feedback in combination with a diode DC level shifter. The measured input IP3 is -14.1 dBm with 10.3 mA total current from a 3.5 V supply. AH performance characteristics are comparable to the best reported UWB LNAs but come at a drastically smaller occupied die area of 0.13 mm2.

Compact SiGe HBT low noise amplifiers for 3.1-10.6 GHz ultra-wideband applications

Two compact SiGe HBT low noise amplifiers for ultra-wideband (UWB) applications are presented. The measured noise figure of the first approach is 2.4dB at 7GHz and below 2.9dB in the UWB bandwidth from 3.1GHz up to 10.6GHz. The circuit delivers 17.3dB peak gain with gain variations of less than 1.6dB within the entire band. The measured input 1-dB compression point at 7GHz is -13.5dBm with 16.6mA total current consumption from a 3.3V supply. The second approach exhibits noise figures between 2.8dB and 3.2dB within the UWB band. Measurements show 23.5dB of gain with 0.6dB variation over the full bandwidth. The measured input 1-dB compression point at 7GHz is -19.5dBm with a 18.2mA bias current at a 3.0V supply. The first and second design occupy a chip size of 0.39mm times 0.38mm and 0.44mm times 0.38 mm, respectively

Si/SiGe HBT UWB impulse generators with sleep-mode targeting the FCC masks

In this paper two UWB impulse generator ICs are presented, targeting the FCC ultra-wideband spectral masks for indoor and outdoor communications. For the generation of the impulse an underdamped RLC resonance circuit is excited by a short current spike. An on-chip power down circuit, consisting of a Widlar bandgap reference and several current mirrors was included, allowing to completely switch off the ICs with a single control signal under full DC biasing. The impulses show a very short time-domain extension and neglibile excess ringing, allowing high repetition rates, exceeding the 400MHz shown in this paper. The two impulse generators exhibit peak amplitudes of 170 and 180mV and the full-width at half maximum of the time domain waveforms are below 200 and 260 ps, respectively. All circuit blocks were realized using 0.8µm Si/SiGe NPN HBTs only.

Millimeter-Wave Si/SiGe HBT Frequency Divider Using Dynamic and Static Division Stages

In this paper, the authors present a fully integrated frequency divider with a divide ratio of 32, using a 0.8 mum Si/SiGe HBT technology. The divider operates at least up to 40 GHz and shows outstanding performance such as broad frequency of operation, compact die area (1130 times 460 mum2), reasonable power consumption (150 mA at 5 V supply voltage or 110 mA at 4 V with slightly degraded performance) and excellent sensitivity. The integrated circuit combines the advantages of the dynamic topology (first two stages) which includes an additional transimpedance stage and the static topology (last three stages) in order to reach these excellent results.

Si/SiGe Integrated Circuits for Impulse-Radio UWB Sensing and Communications

Impulse-radio ultra-wideband (I-UWB) systems for sensing and communications offer very low power consumption, and allow precise radar and location sensing alongside with communications. Therefore, they are interesting candidates for medical applications. This paper reports on the development of a complete I-UWB chipset, consisting of pulse generators, low-noise amplifiers, and correlators aiming at the implementation of a medical application test bed.