Ramon Gomez

A 2.7 mW/Channel 48–1000 MHz Direct Sampling Full-Band Cable Receiver

A direct sampling full-band capture (FBC) receiver for cable and digital TV applications is presented. It consists of a 0.18 μm BiCMOS low-noise amplifier (LNA) and a 28 nm CMOS direct RF sampling receiver based on a 2.7 GS/s analog-to-digital converter (ADC) embedded in a system-on-chip (SoC). Digital signal processing (DSP) plays critical roles to assist analog circuits in providing functionalities and enhancing performances, including digital automatic gain control (AGC), digital phase-locked loop (PLL), and digital ADC compensation. The receiver is capable of receiving 158 256 QAM channels from 48 to 1000 MHz simultaneously, achieving up to 10 Gb/s data throughput for data and video while exceeding Data over cable service interface specification (DOCSIS) and Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) requirements. The CMOS receiver occupies 1 mm2 area while consuming 300 mW. The LNA consumes 130 mW and occupies 3 mm2 area. The total power dissipation from the receiver is 2.7 mW per 6 MHz channel when capturing the entire cable spectrum.

Theoretical Comparison of Direct-Sampling Versus Heterodyne RF Receivers

An intuitive high-level argument is presented suggesting that direct-sampling radio frequency (RF) receivers using Nyquist analog-digital converters can be as power-efficient as analog heterodyne receivers for equal dynamic range specifications, at least at lower RF frequencies well below the ft of the IC process. System planning for direct-sampling receivers is reviewed, highlighting dBFS/Hz as an intrinsic measure of dynamic range, independent of channel and Nyquist bandwidths. Power dissipation versus dynamic range for recently reported heterodyne and direct-sampling receivers is examined.

A 28 nm, 475 mW, and 0.4–1.7 GHz Embedded Transceiver Front-End Enabling High-Speed Data Streaming Within Home Cable Networks

A 28 nm CMOS software-defined transceiver (SDTRX) enabling high-speed data (HSD) streaming, including ultra HD TV, within home cable networks is presented. By making efficient use of available cable bandwidth, the SDTRX dynamically handles up to 1024-QAM OFDM-modulated HSD streams. This paper addresses SDTRX system-level design methodology as the key driver in enabling performance optimization for achieving a wide frequency range of operation at lowest power and area consumption. By employing an optimized architecture constructed on available state-of-the-art 28 nm functional building blocks, the monolithic SDTRX consists of a mixer-based harmonic rejection RX with a digital-to-analog converter-based TX and a smart phase-locked loop system. It operates over 0.4–1.7 GHz frequency range while consuming less than 475 mW in half-duplex mode. Moreover, by developing a simple transmitter (TX) to receiver (RX) loopback circuit, the system is enabled to efficiently calibrate TX output power and to remove the need for a dedicated external pin. This low-cost SDTRX is embedded in various 28 nm CMOS multimedia system-on-chip and is, to the authors’ knowledge, the first reported transceiver front-end to enable true HSD streaming within home cable networks.

A 2.7mW/Channel 48-to-1000MHz Direct Sampling Full-Band Cable Receiver

We present a direct sampling full-band capture receiver for cable and digital TV applications. It consists of a 28nm CMOS ADC-based direct sampling receiver and a 0.18um BiCMOS LNA. It is capable of receiving 158 channels from 48MHz to 1000MHz simultaneously, achieving up to 10Gb/s data throughput, while exceeding DOCSIS requirements. The CMOS receiver occupies 1mm2 area while consuming 300mW. The LNA consumes 130mW. The total power dissipation from the receiver is 2.7mW per 6MHz channel.