Integrated Circuits for High-Speed Communication

Abstract

Introduction to high speed IC-design for in GHz-RF- and mobile communications, high speed computing and Gb/s digital fiberoptic communications. The high speed properties of transistors and passive circuit elements are discussed on the device level, followed by IC-design techniques. Important analog / digital high-speed generic circuits and functional system blocks are presented in detail.

Objective

The course teaches the concepts, techniques and design of high speed analog and digital integrated circuits for modern wireless and optical data communication applications. Focus is on the frequency range of a few GHz up to mm-wavelengths and on data rates of multi-10 Gb/s. Advanced simulation techniques are addresses in exercises. The course provides the base for own high speed design work and enables to develop and evaluate circuits and generic system blocks.

Content

The properties and limits of state-of-the-art Silicon and compound IC technologies (GaAs, InP, GaN) for high-speed data communication are reviewed and compared. The characteristics and modeling of transistors such as homo- and heterojunction bipolar transistors (BT, HBT), fieldeffect transistors (FET) and high electron mobility transistors (HEMT), lumped elements, distributed elements, packages and interconnects are discussed. We teach theoretical basics, design concepts and circuit topologies for analog wireless transceiver ICs including low-noise amplifiers (LNA), Mixers, power amplifiers (PA) and voltage controlled oscillators (VCO) and digital optical transceiver ICs such as laser drivers, photoreceivers, multiplexer, demultiplexer and clock recovery circuits. Emphasis is placed on broadband design approaching the mimits of the underlying transistor technology. Furthermore the concepts and the design of phase locked loops (PLL) for frequency synthesis and clock and data recovery are addressed. The lecture with a strong emphasis on practical IC-design at the technological limits gives insights in high-speed measurement techniques and leading-edge IC fabrication. CAD exercises enhance the practical comprehension.

Resources