A Short Range, Low Data Rate, 7.2 GHz-7.7 GHz FM-UWB Receiver Front-End

Abstract

A 9 mW FM-UWB receiver front-end for low data rate ( <50 kbps), short range ( <10 m) applications operating in the ultra-wideband (UWB) band centered at 7.45 GHz is described in this paper. A single-ended-to-differential preamplifier with 30 dB voltage gain, a 1 GHz bandwidth FM demodulator, and a combined (preamp/demodulator) receiver front-end were fabricated in 0.25 mum SiGe:C BiCMOS and characterized. Measured receiver sensitivity is -85.8 dBm while consuming 9 mW from a 1.8 V supply, and -83 dBm consuming 6 mW at 1.5 V. 15-20 m range line-of-sight in an indoor environment is realized, justifying FM-UWB as a robust radio technology for short range, low data rate applications. Multi-user and interference capabilities are also evaluated.