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ECE 24 Final Report 052609
1. RF Hardware Design and Integration 4x4 MIMO for Ultra Wide Band Base
Station
Senior Design Project Report, submitted on May 26, 2009
Report Submitted to Dr. Afshin S. Daryoush and the Senior Design Project Committee of the
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Drexel University
Team Number: ECE-24
Team Members:
Paul Miranda Electrical Engineering
Christopher Hinton Electrical Engineering
Vaibhav Mistry Electrical Engineering
2. Executive Summary
Purpose and Scope of the Project:
The purpose of this Senior Design project is to research, develop, and design the system
components for an Ultra Wide Band Base Station. The motivation behind this Base Station is to
provide the latest technology for the upcoming 4th Generation communication systems. The success
of this project will see it being implemented in ever growing field of commercial communications
requiring larger bandwidth as well as other military based operations which require greater sampling
rates.
Methods:
We are going to design a 4G wireless base station with a super heterodyne receiver as our
overall theme. There has been previous work done by other teams and we are going to implement
some of their devices with our designs to create the base station. A power analysis was done in order
to provide accurate specifications for each device. The individual specifications of the different
devices would contribute to overall success of the entire system. Once all of the prototypes are built
and performing correctly, we are going to fully integrate the devices and perform a design
verification test to ensure the system is working properly.
Results:
Compared to our timeline we are ahead in the development of the footprints, connections,
and layouts of the prototypes. We have recently received the bad news that the Drexel PCB shop is
down due to a broken motor; this presents our team with a large problem. Dr. Daryoush has his own
LPKF PCB milling machine that can fabricate the circuits on 15 mil thick FR4 substrate. This should
be an adequate replacement while we wait for the Drexel PCB machine shop. In the mean time, we
will implement the following testing and calculations: noise figure measurements, system level
power supply calculations, system level power calculations, local oscillator testing.
At the moment, we are under budget. The major accomplishments so far consist of circuit
layouts. The team learned how to make layouts in the software, Advanced Design System (ADS).
Through trial and error we eventually became very proficient at it. To date we have built two
prototypes boards, the LO & PP Board and the 1:4 Power Divider Board, and are almost finished
with the other two prototype boards, The Digital Transmitting Board and the Digital Receiving
Board. Physical testing will be done while waiting for the Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) to return
from fabrication.
Conclusions:
The major challenge we have faced so far was learning ADS software in order to design
layouts with it. Another challenging task was to familiarize ourselves with different test equipment
like a Spectrum Analyzer and a Network Analyzer for testing our circuits. At times, we were unable
to measure different circuit parameters because we had to share our instruments with the other labs.
So far we have done S-Parameter measurements on the Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) and the Power
Amplifier (PA). Both are functioning as required.
Recommendations:
Our team would recommend to Dr. Daryoush to become more visual when explaining system
level requirements and designs.
3. ECE-24 Page |3
Abstract
Our design project has focused on hardware aspects of the RF front end for 4x4 Multiple
Input and Multiple Output (MIMO) base station designed for the first Orthogonal Frequency
Division Multiplexing (OFDM) channel of the Ultra Wideband (UWB) wireless standard (i.e., 3.1 to
3.6 GHz). The 4x4 MIMO RF front-end requires 4 Receiver and 4 Transmitter Boards. A Local
Oscillator (LO) board is needed for providing a coherent signal at 3.158GHz for frequency up and
down conversion. Prototype circuits for each sub-system module were designed, laid-out on 25 mils
RO3006 high frequency laminate boards, fabricated and tested. The performance was compared
between the data sheets, evaluation boards, and prototype boards leaving similar results. The
successful layouts were incorporated to the digital transmitter and receiver boards in collaboration
with team ECE-23.
We remain on schedule with each prototyping module. Unfortunately, we are behind in the
system integration due to the time consuming process of trouble shooting the amplifiers. In
comparison to our original proposed out of pocket budget given in the fall, we are definitely over
budget. In the original budget we considered the price of driving to Hybrid Tech for wire-bonding;
but as the project continued, we relied on Advanced Control Components for wire-bonding. While
they graciously provided the necessary wire-bonding for free, the number of trips and the amount of
miles increased.
4. ECE-24 Page |4
Table of Contents
1. Title Page pg. 1
2. Executive Summary pg. 2
3. Abstract pg. 3
4. Table of Contents pg. 4
5. Body of Report pg. 5
5.1. Abbreviation Table pg. 5
5.2. Problem Description pg. 5
5.3. Progress toward a Solution pg. 5
5.4. Local Oscillator and Poly-phase Board pg. 5
5.4.1 Local Oscillator pg. 5
5.4.2 Poly-phase pg. 6
5.4.3 System Integration pg. 7
5.5. Receiver and Transmitter Boards pg. 7
5.5.1 Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) pg. 7
5.5.2 Buffer Amplifier (BA) pg. 8
5.5.3 Power Amplifier (PA) pg. 9
5.6. Constraints pg. 10
5.7. Budgets pg. 11
5.8. Gantt Chart and Teamwork pg. 13
5.9. Summary & Conclusions pg. 14
5.10. References pg. 14
6. Appendices pg. 15
5. ECE-24 Page |5
Abbreviation Table
COTS Components Off the Shelf DRB Digital Receiver Board
RFIC Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit GCM Gilbert Cell Mixers
UWB Ultra-Wideband DTB Digital Transmitter Board
BPF Band Pass Filter LO Local Oscillator
LPF Low Pass Filter SNR Signal-to-Noise Ratio
OFDM Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex BPSK Binary Phase-Shift Keying
PA Power Amplifier BA Buffer Amplifier
LNA Low Noise Amplifier FPGA Field Programmable Gate Array
RF Radio Frequency IF Intermediate Frequency
ADC Advanced Design System DSP Digital Signal Processing
Table 1. Abbreviation Table
Problem Description:
Ultra wide band communication is the 4th Generation (4G) for advancing wireless
communications systems. Consumers demand for faster, more reliable mobile applications is
evident [1]. UWB technology will be able to provide a comprehensive IP solution where voice, data
and streamed multimedia can be given to users at higher data rates than existing forms of wireless
technology. Some of the applications of UWB are, but not limited to: high speed broadband access
to the internet and secure communications [2]. The specific problem our team we are addressing is
the need for a 4G Telecommunication Base Station.
Our senior design team has focused on the hardware implementation of both the receiving
and transmitting portions of the system. The main focus will be the incorporation of the 4x4
Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) transceiver composed of four 2x2 sub-array antennas with a
Super-Heterodyne Receiver and Transmitter system. The block diagram for up-conversion and
transmitting can is shown in Figure A1, while the receiving block diagram can be found in Figure
A2. The block diagram for the stable Local Oscillator and Polyphase Board can be found in Figure
A3.
In summary, the necessary components in the RF front end of both the receiver and
transmitter are: a PA, a LNA, a LO, and a Poly-phase Shifter. These circuits are essential in order to
construct the RF front end electronics channel of a broadband OFDM UWB base station ranging
from 10 to 100 meters. Our project will be complimented by ECE-23 whose focus will be on the
back end electronics such as: the FPGA, DSP Algorithms, the GCM, and the various filters (LPF and
BPF).
Progress toward a solution
Local Oscillator and Poly-phase Board:
Local Oscillator
In our communication schemes the LO is used to up convert a baseband signal, via a
differential Gilbert Cell Mixer, to a RF or Microwave frequency to carry the information. This year,
as opposed to previous years, a COTS LO was successfully implemented. This process started in the
fall term when we identified FWS200400-100[3] made by Synergy Microwave Corporation.
We received 3 samples and an evaluation board (see Figure B2) from Synergy Microwave
Corporation. In the winter term we began experiments on the provided evaluation board, with a 10
MHz Crystal Oscillator [4] as a reference. Unfortunately, while going through the testing of the
6. ECE-24 Page |6
evaluation board we ran into a connectivity issue. Synergy Microwave Corporation made a GUI to
program the LO’s PLL to a specific frequency through a DSUB-25 Connector. This connectivity
issue was solved by borrowing an old laptop from the ECE department and downloading a beta
version of Synergy’s software.
Once we successfully programmed the LO’s PLL with the computer, we characterized the
evaluation board. After receiving good results, we designed our own layout on Rogers 3006 High
Frequency Laminate (see Figure B4). We then milled out the prototype board (see Figure B1) and
compared the Phase Noise to both the data sheet and the evaluation board (see Table 2). In addition,
we fully characterized the Harmonic Suppression, Spurious Suppression, Phase Noise, and Output
Power (for Output Power and spectrum see Figure B3) for 5 frequency points every 100 MHz,
starting at 3.158 GHz (see Table 3).
Phase Noise, dBc/Hz @ 3.25 GHz
@ 1 kHz offset @ 10 kHz offset @ 100 kHz offset
Data Sheet -85 dBc/Hz -85 dBc/Hz -110 dBc/Hz
Evaluation Board -100 dBc/Hz -110 dBc/Hz -110 dBc/Hz
Prototype Module -88 dBc/Hz -90 dBc/Hz -112 dBc/Hz
Table 2. Phase Noise comparison between Data Sheet, Evaluation Board, and Prototype Module
Output Output Spurious Harmonic
Frequency, Power, Suppresion, Suppression, Phase Noise with offset of, dBc/Hz
GHz dBm dBc dBc
30 90 100 500 1 10 100
Hz Hz Hz Hz kHz kHz kHz
3.158 0 -72 -12 86 -90 -87 -88 -90 -88 -113
3.258 0 -71 -13 -82 -84 -86 -84 -88 -90 -112
3.358 0 -70 -11 -86 -87 -91 -82 -87 -87 -111
3.458 0 -71 -10 -85 -83 -87 -81 -91 -90 -114
3.558 -2 -70 -11 -85 -84 -87 -85 -93 -102 -110
3.658 -1 -70 -11 -85 -88 -90 -90 -95 -91 -111
Table 3. Full Characterization of LO over full bandwidth of interest
Poly-phase Circuit
In order to provide the differential Gilbert Cell Mixer with the appropriate signals for both
the I & Q Channel of our super-heterodyne receiver, a Poly-phase Circuit was require to split a
signal to 0°, 90°, 180°, and -90°. The Poly-phase Integrated Circuit (IC) was developed by under
Dr. Daryoush in previous years (see Figure C3 and C4).
In order to place the Poly-phase on Rogers RO3006 High Frequency Laminate, we purchased
15 Leadless Chip Carriers (LCC) from Evergreen Semiconductors (see Figure C5). The cost was
rebated by the ECE Department, thus not effecting our out of pocket budget.
The LCC has dimensions in comparison to the IC in which wire-bonding could not be
accomplished without a ‘jumping’ process, due to the structural integrity of the 1mil in diameter
gold wire (see Figure C2). After simulating for the effect of wire-bonds being ‘jumped’ to
capacitors, we informed the technicians at Advanced Control Components (ACC) to place the
capacitors and the IC in specific positions. The IC was then epoxied to the LCC along with single
layer capacitors (see Figure C6).
We then developed a footprint for the LCC and designed a layout to test the Poly-phase
capability (see Figure C1). Subsequently, we fabricated the prototype module and surface mounted
using solder the necessary DC biasing capacitors and RF chokes (see Figure C7). Because the IC is
extremely sensitive to soldering fumes, we surface mounted the LCC with conductive epoxy.
7. ECE-24 Page |7
The Poly-phase circuit was then tested (see Figure C8) for the phase delay and amplitude
difference between the four different outputs. The results (see Figure C9) demonstrated that V270
had a large difference in amplitude (V270).
System Integration
As stated earlier, in order to feed 4 Receiver and 4 Transmitter Boards, each with differential
Gilbert Cell Mixers for both I and Q Channels, we had to design a board with a phase and power
distribution network. The challenge of this board was to provide four different phases, 0°, 90°, 180°,
and -90° to 8 separate boards. This over all board was mechanically laid out in the winter term (see
Figure D1) and designed in ADS in the spring term (see Figure D2).
This was accomplished by designing and implementing prototype circuits for a Balun Circuit
(see Figure D5 and D6) and a 1 by 2 Power Divider Circuit (see Figure D9 and D10). We received
samples from Johansson Technology for the Balun [5] and samples from Mini-Circuits for the 1 by 2
Power Divider [6]. After trial and error, final circuit layouts were constructed in ADS and were
implemented on Rogers R03006 High Frequency Laminate. Subsequently we tested both circuits
and received favorable results (see Tables D1-D4 and Figures D7, D8, D11, and D12).
Once we were satisfied with the Balun and Power Divider circuits we filled in the
mechanical layout (see Figure D2) with the respective circuit components. We then milled out the
board and populated the board (see Figure D3 and D4). Due to the board’s large size,
approximately 5.5” by 10”, we developed a metal back plane to add structural integrity in the Drexel
metal shop. We then incorporated the alumina board electrically by using conductive grease and
drilling screw holes. The screws and the conductive grease provided us with a solid ground plane
and the additional support we needed. Only initial testing (see Figure D13) due to time constraints
and assembly difficulties.
Transmitter & Receiver Boards
Low Noise Amplifier
An amplifier usually amplifies the noise along with the signal. A LNA is used to amplify the
signal and limit the noise as much as possible. It is used on the receiver board between the antenna
and filter. In 2005-06, Team 32 designed an LNA to work at 2.45 GHz. The previous year senior
design team worked on the impedance matching circuit to stabilize it over 3.1 GHz, but they faced
oscillations because of the coupling errors. This year we chose to go for the COTS LNA from
RFMD (P/N: RF3866) [7]. The primary requirements for the LNA are summarized in Table 4.
Parameter Requirements
Frequency (GHz) 3.1-3.6 GHz
Gain (dB) 20 dB
Noise Figure (dB) 1 dB
Table 4: Requirements for the LNA
The first step towards a design of the LNA was to test the evaluation board from the
company and verify the results (see Figure E5). After getting satisfactory results from the device (see
Figure E3), our next plan was to design a layout based on the schematic provided by the company
and fabricate our own prototype board (see Figure E1). The layout for the LNA had to go through
various design changes because it is very easy for an amplifier to oscillate if it is not matched
properly. We soon discovered that any additional length of the transmission line will add parasitic
reactance to the matching network. Another design consideration was the grounding plane for the
8. ECE-24 Page |8
center pad of the chip. It needed to have as many as four via-holes or rivets to provide a proper
grounding of the thermal pad. Unfortunately, we did not have extremely small rivets; we could only
accommodate one rivet under the center pad. Test, with a single rivet underneath the center pad,
gave poor gain. We could not achieve stable gain throughout the full frequency range of interest.
Another problem we faced dealt with the lumped components. We soon discovered that all
the lumped components have to be as close to the circuit as possible, otherwise the extra length of
line between the components and the pad will again add reactance. In addition, we discovered that
the shunt components grounding had to be applied as close as possible with a via-hole or rivet. If
both of these did not happen the matching network for the amplifier would change and cause
unwanted oscillations.
We fabricated another amplifier this time with lumped components as close to the pad as
possible (see Figure E4). With our latest design, we were able to get a stable gain of 20 dB (see
Figure E7) for the full frequency bandwidth of 3.1-3.6 GHz. Also the IP3 and Noise figure (see
Figures E8 and E9) for the prototype board was very close to the values mentioned in the datasheet.
The Table 5 compares the parameter of the evaluation board and the prototype board. Hence after
various design changes we were successfully able to design the low noise amplifier which met all
our design needs.
Parameter Evaluation Board Prototype Board
Gain (dB) 20 dB 20 dB
IP3 (dBm) 16.9 dBm 16.75 dBm
Noise Figure (dB) 0.8 dB 1.1 dB
Table 5: Comparison of Evaluation and Prototype Board
Buffer Amplifier
A buffer amplifier (BA) is an amplifier which transfers a voltage from a circuit having higher
impedance to a circuit which has a lower impedance level. The received signal is sent to the ADC
for conversion of the analog signal to digital signal. The BA helps prevent the ADC from interfering
with the down conversion operation and the LPF of the receiver board. Since the buffer amplifier
receives the down-converted differential signal from the Gilbert Cell Mixer (GCM) being designed
by ECE-23, the buffer amplifier was designed to have differential input and also differential output
so that it can be connected to the ADC which is also a differential input ADC. The COTS part that
was chosen was an operational amplifier (op-amp) P/N: THS4513 from Texas Instruments [8]. This
op-amp is fully differential and has a bandwidth of 1600 MHz with a slew rate of 5100 V/ s.
Designing the layout for buffer amplifier proved to be difficult because of its fully
differential configuration. A slight change in the length of transmission lines will change the phase
of the signal. The other design consideration was the distance between the two transmission lines.
Since the pads of the chip are so close to each other, the transmission lines coming out of them will
couple, which is undesirable. Therefore, the layout had to be designed to facilitate symmetry and not
coupling.
The IC from TI is very small that it was not possible to drill holes underneath the center pad.
So we drilled a hole very close to the chip but not directly underneath it. Once the layout was
finalized we fabricated the circuit and tested it. After providing the necessary biasing conditions and
the differential input signals we saw output signals were 180 degrees out of phase from one another
but they had very small amplitude. It means the buffer amplifier which is designed to have a gain
more than unity was not amplifying the signal. It just gave two differential signals at the output.
These may be because of the leakage from the chip. So we decided to mount another chip and test it
again.
9. ECE-24 Page |9
We tested it but again it started to oscillate at high frequencies. It was highly unstable at high
frequencies. In our latest prototype, we used the same method we have used for the LNA. We have
very fine holes underneath the ground pad for fine wire for proper grounding (see Figures F2 and
F3). We also simulated out design on PSpice and tuned the circuit to give us a gain of 2dB and the
flat gain bandwidth of 540 MHz. The results of PSpice are shown in Figure 4. We were able to
practically implement this design but instead getting a gain of 2 dB we got a gain of 1dB (see Figure
5). But as can be seen from the Figure 6, both the inputs and outputs are 180 degree of phase and we
have a flat gain bandwidth of around 540 MHz.
Power Amplifier
A Power Amplifier is a device used to take a small input signal and convert it into a larger
output signal. A COTS power amplifier is used for direct up-conversion for a digital transmitter
board. In such configuration, the power amplifier receives the signal from the Gilbert Cell Mixer and
amplifies it before sending it to the antenna. Power amplifiers are usually optimized to have high
efficiency, high P1dB compression, good return loss, good gain, and good heat dissipation. The
choice of power amplifier depends on the application, cost, maximum transmit frequency, maximum
stable gain (GMSG), thermal conduction, breakdown voltage, and the power handling capacity.
In previous years, senior design teams under Dr. Daryoush have used the P/N: AWM6430 by
Anadigics, Inc. Unfortunately the amplifier was not stable in the low end of our desired frequency
range (below 3.3 GHz). We therefore began talking with Anadigics’ engineers about our need for a
stable amplifier for the full bandwidth from 3.1 to 3.6 GHz.
Eventually in the winter term, Anadigics mailed us samples and an evaluation board for a
power amplifier P/N: AWT6283R (see Figure G4) that is still in development stage and is not in the
market yet. We then verified the evaluation board against their preliminary data (see Figures G6,
G8, G10). Once we were satisfied with the amplifier’s performance we designed a layout using
Rogers RO3006 High Frequency Laminate (see Figure G1). We then milled out the board and
populated it (see Figure G2).
In order to begin testing the amplifier and to solve some grounding issues we were concerned
about, we designed a heat sink, at the Drexel Metal Shop, for the amplifier (see Figure G3). As it
can be seen in the figure, the heat sink has fins on the bottom to dissipate the heat and has a
protruding square in the top. This square fits into the hole where the heat pad of the power amplifier
sits and is the same height as the RO3006 board. Adding heat sink compound and tapped screw
holes provided us with the necessary grounding and heat dissipation.
After developing the heat sink we fully tested and characterized the power amplifier.
Specifically we found the IP3, P1dB, Gain, Intermodulation distortion. Finally we found the S
parameters (see Figure G5, G7, G9). We then tabulated the results and compared them to the
Anadigics’ evaluation board (see Table 8). With similar results we incorporated the layout to the LO
Poly-phase board (see Figure D1-D4).
Parameter Requirement
Frequency Range (GHz) 3.1-3.6 GHz
Output Power (W) 0.5 W
Gain (dB) at least 60 dB
AGC (dB) at least 40dB
Table 6. Requirement for Power Amplifier
Parameter AWM6430(old) AWT6283R(new)
Frequency Range (GHz) 3.3-3.6GHz 3.4-3.8 GHz
Output Power(W) 0.25 W 1.5 W
10. E C E - 2 4 P a g e | 10
Gain (dB) 27 dB 30 dB
Table 7. Comparison between AWM6430 and AWT6283R Power Amplifier
Parameter AWT6283R (Evaluation Board) AWT6283R(Prototype Board)
Output Power(W) 1.5 W 1.5 W
Gain (dB) 30 dB 30 dB
P1dB (dBm) 31 dBm 30 dBm
IP3 (dBm) 16.7 dBm 16.05 dBm
Table 8. Comparison between AWT6283R Evaluation Board and Prototype Board
Constraints
Our senior design project had some setbacks throughout the year because of the need for
wire-bonding. In order to properly assemble the poly-phase circuit we need the assistance of an RF
company to wire bond our die to a leadless chip carrier. This process would have cost us up to $600
but Advanced Control Components was gracious enough to give up 4 hours of their time to help us
with our assembly. Wire bonding also makes this project difficult to manufacture at high rates in
high quantities. The semi-conductor used in the poly-phase die is made of Indium gallium
phosphide (InGaP) which is very soft and takes a very experienced technician to wire bond to the
bonding pads.
In addition, the technology of wireless communications is always adapting and progressing
so our project could potentially be improved as more advanced technology presents itself. The
current infrastructure is geared towards the current 3G wireless networks. Our project could
potentially force the manufacturing of new networks to support ultra wide band technology. The
biggest constraint politically is the regulation of the communications bandwidth by the Federal
communications Committee. These regulations made it difficult for our team to find commercially
available parts at 3.158 GHz to 3.658 GHz.
11. E C E - 2 4 P a g e | 11
Budget
Table 9. Industrial Budget.
12. E C E - 2 4 P a g e | 12
Table 10. To Date Out of Pocket Budget
*LO, LNA, PA, BA, 1 by 2 PD, 1 by 4 PD, Balun, Single Layer Capacitor, High Frequency Laminate
**Credited by ECE Department
***After ECE Department Rebate
Table 11. Original Out of Pocket Budget in Proposal
Throughout our project we have been successful in gaining free samples from the many
different companies we contacted. Mini-Circuits supplied us with the necessary power dividers,
Anadigics provided us with the power amplifier, and RFMD provided us with the low noise
amplifier for our design. Synergy Microwave gave us the Local Oscillators we needed for our LO
and Polyphase board, and Texas Instruments has provided us the Buffer Amplifier. During the
duration of our project, Advanced Control Components offered us their assembly services through
wire-bonding and engineering advice so we had to make the trip 4 times to get the assembly done.
Although we have had some success in receiving samples, we still had to spend some money
out of pocket in order to realize our design. The car rides to Advanced Control Components cost us
$461.10. We also spent money on purchasing leadless chip carriers in order for us to surface mount
a die to our Rogers board. The local oscillator in our design also needed an interface with a PC for
programming purposes so we had to purchase two 25 pin DSub connectors. The final total for all of
these parts and shipping cost our group $561.00. This total is much higher than our proposed budget
because we did not account for multiple trips to Advanced Control Components, which is further
away than Hybrid Tech, for us mis-handling our circuits. We also did not have a solution to our
broken poly-phase board with the leadless chip carriers.
13. E C E - 2 4 P a g e | 13
Gantt Chart and Teamwork
Table 12. Gantt Chart showing respective responsibilities
14. E C E - 2 4 P a g e | 14
Throughout the course of our senior design project we had to meet certain deadlines set by
the senior design committee. In order to have our deliverables on time, we created a Gantt Chart to
help us visualize the entire timeline of our project. This organizational tool contained the due dates
for each written report and oral presentation given by the senior design committee. Once we had our
critical dates laid out, we created a detailed plan to allow for mistakes shipping and manufacturing
parts, and also allotted time for unforeseen problems. Once we had a plan we made a separate
section on the Gantt chart to put our suspense dates for each of our deliverables. All of our circuit
prototype modules have been on schedule and are fully operational within datasheet specifications.
Concerning teamwork; our team worked very well together. Our team did not have the same
team leader every term because each person’s unique skills were used at different phases of the
project in order to maximize our efforts. The contribution of each team member went beyond RF
circuitry throughout the duration of this senior design project. Each team member’s responsibilities
can be seen in the columns below their name on the Gantt Chart (see Table 12).
Summary & Conclusions
We have finished the prototype layouts for the LO and PP board, LNA, Buffer Amplifier.
Our LO and PP board is fully assembled and has been initially tested. We have successfully made
prototype modules for all the circuit components which closely met the data sheet and necessary
system specifications.
References
[1] http://www.3gamericas.org/documents/UMTS_Forum_MBB_LTE_White_Paper_February_2009%5B1%5D.pdf
[2] http://www.3gamericas.org/documents/applications_nov2004.pdf
[3] http://www.synergymwave.com/Products/synthesizer/datasheets/FSW200400-100.pdf
[4] http://www.wenzel.com/pdffiles1/Standard%20Parts/501s/50104608a.pdf
[5] http://www.johansontechnology.com/images/stories/ip/baluns/Balun_3600BL14M100.pdf
[6] http://www.mini-circuits.com/pdfs/SCN-2-35.pdf
[7] http://products.rfmd.com/docdownload.jsp?docID=NN30-DSN-V27VVG23CM&tabname=TechLib
[8] http://focus.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/ths4513.pdf
[9] D. M. Pozar, “Microwave Engineering”, John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2005
[10] Pranav Iyengar and A. S. Daryoush, quot;Circularly Polarized Array Ring Antenna for Ultra Wide Band Wireless
Communicationsquot;, Drexel University, ECE Department, Philadelphia, PA, 19104.
[11] Tiwari, Swarup, Lu, Koanantakool and Amadou, “Sub-System Development for RFIC Based Ultra-Wide Band
Base Station- Final Report is submitted to Dr. Daryoush and the ECE Senior Design Project Committee at Drexel
University”, May 2007.
[12] C.A Balanis, “Antenna Theory: Analysis and Design”, John Wiley & Sons Inc., March 2005.
[13] Radmanesh, Matthew M., “Radio frequency and microwave electronics”, Prentice Hall PTR, c2001
15. E C E - 2 4 P a g e |A 1
Appendix A
Figure A1. General block diagram for a Transmitter Board.
Figure A2. General block diagram for a Receiver Board.
16. E C E - 2 4 P a g e |A 2
Figure A3. General block diagram for the Local Oscillator Polyphase Board.
17. ECE-24 Page |B1
Appendix B
Figure B1. LO Prototype Module on RO3006
Figure B2. LO Evaluation Board provided by Synergy Microwaves
18. ECE-24 Page |B2
Figure B3. Wide view of Prototype LO’s signal on Spectrum Analyzer
Figure B4. Layout of Prototype LO in ADS
19. E C E - 2 4 P a g e |C 1
Appendix C
Figure C1. Poly-phase Prototype Module designed for RO3006 in ADS
20. E C E - 2 4 P a g e |C 2
Figure C2. Polyphase wire bonding Diagram using 1 inch in diameter gold wire
Figure C3. Broken Poly-phase board from previous senior design teams
21. E C E - 2 4 P a g e |C 3
Figure C4. Polyphase RFIC developed by previous Senior Design teams under Dr. Daryoush at 2.45 GHz
Figure C5. Purchased LCC to solve broken Poly-phase problem
NOTE: top side view is on the left while bottom side is on the right
22. E C E - 2 4 P a g e |C 4
Figure C6. Top of LCC with Polyphase IC epoxied and wire bonds
Figure C7. Poly-phase Prototype Module implemented
23. E C E - 2 4 P a g e |C 5
Figure C8. Poly-phase Prototype Module Test Setup
Figure C9. Poly-phase Prototype Module Test Results
NOTE: V0 – yellow, V90 – blue, V180 – red, V270 - black
24. ECE-24 Page |D1
Appendix D
Figure D1. Mechanical Layout of LOPP Board
Figure D2. Layout of LOPP Board on ADS
25. ECE-24 Page |D2
Figure D3. Actual circuit of LOPP Board before assembly
Figure D4. Actual circuit of LOPP Board after majority of assembly
26. ECE-24 Page |D3
Figure D5. Balun Module Layout in ADS
Figure D6. Balun Module implemented on RO3006
28. ECE-24 Page |D5
Figure D7. Amplitude Difference between the two output ports of Balun Module Prototype
Figure D8. Phase Difference between the two output ports of Balun Module Prototype
29. ECE-24 Page |D6
Figure D9. 1 by 2 Power Divider Module Layout in ADS
Figure D10. 1 by 2 Power Divider Prototype Module implemented on RO3006
30. ECE-24 Page |D7
Table D3. 1 by 2 Power Divider Data Sheet Specifications
Table D4. 1 by 2 Power Divider Prototype Module Testing Results
31. ECE-24 Page |D8
Figure D11. Insertion Loss comparison for both output ports of 1 by 2 Power Divider Prototype Module
Figure D12. Insertion Loss Phase Difference between the two output ports of 1 by 2 Power Divider Module
33. E C E - 2 4 P a g e |E 1
Appendix E
Figure E1: RF3866 Evaluation Board Schematic
Figure E2: RF3866 Layout
34. E C E - 2 4 P a g e |E 2
Figure E3: RF3866 Evaluation Board
Figure E4: RF3866 Prototype Board Top View
35. E C E - 2 4 P a g e |E 3
Figure E5: S-Parameters
P1dB with 20 dBm Attenuator at Output
15 of Eval Board
10
5
Output Power (dBm)
0
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 Linear…
-5 meas…
-10
-15
-20
-25
Input Power (dBm)
Figure E6: P1dB with 20 dBm Attenuator at Output of Eval Board
36. E C E - 2 4 P a g e |E 4
Figure E7: S21 (Gain) of Prototype Board with -35 dBm of Reference Signal
Figure 8: Intermodulation Distortion of Evaluation Board
37. E C E - 2 4 P a g e |E 5
Figure 9: Intermodulation Distortion of Prototype Board
Figure 10: S11 for RF3866 Prototype Board
38. E C E - 2 4 P a g e |E 6
Figure 11: S22 for RF3866 Prototype Board
39. E C E - 2 4 P a g e |F 1
Appendix F
Figure F1: THS4513 Evaluation Board Schematic
Figure F2: THS4513 Evaluation Board Layout
40. E C E - 2 4 P a g e |F 2
Figure F3: THS4513 Prototype Board
Figure F4. Buffer Amplifier Simulation Results for Gain and Group Delay
41. E C E - 2 4 P a g e |F 3
1
0.5
0
Voltage Gain, dB
-0.5
-1
-1.5
-2
-2.5
-3
Figure F5. Buffer Amp. Voltage Gain vs. Frequency
Figure F6: Output Waveform of Buffer Amplifier
42. E C E - 2 4 P a g e |G 1
Appendix G
Figure G1: Layout of AWT6283R Prototype Board
Figure G2: AWT6283R Prototype Board
43. E C E - 2 4 P a g e |G 2
Figure G3: Heatsink of AWT6283R Prototype Board
Figure G4: AWT6283R Evaluation Board
44. E C E - 2 4 P a g e |G 3
Figure G5: S21 of AWT6283R Prototype Board with 20 dB attenuator at the output and a reference
signal of -15dBm
Figure G6: S21 of AWT6283R Evaluation Board
45. E C E - 2 4 P a g e |G 4
Figure G7: S11 of AWT6283R Prototype Board
Figure G8: S11 of AWT6283R Evaluation Board
46. E C E - 2 4 P a g e |G 5
Figure G9: S22 of AWT6283R Prototype Board
Figure G10: S22 of AWT6283R Evaluation Board
47. E C E - 2 4 P a g e |G 6
P1 dB Compression Point
35
30
25
Output Power (dBm)
20
Prototype board
Evaluation board
15
10
5
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Input Power (dBm)
Figure G11: P1dB of Evaluation board and Prototype Board
Figure G12: Intermodulation Distortion of Prototype Board
48. E C E - 2 4 P a g e |G 7
c
Figure G13: Intermodulation Distortion of Evaluation Board
Figure G14: Evaluation Board Schematic
50. E C E - 2 4 P a g e |H 2
Paul Miranda
16 Glenwood Ave
Jersey City, NJ 07306
201-978-5842
paul.d.miranda@us.army.mil
Education
Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, September 2009
Radio Frequency and Advanced Electronics Concentrations
Security Clearance: Secret
Internship Experience
Advanced Control Component, Eatontown, NJ, March 2006 to September 2008
• Junior Design and Test Intern,
• Assisted in the design, test, tune, and characterization of Phase Shifters, RF Switches, Amplifiers, High and
Low Pass Filter, and Attenuators (10 MHZ to 40 GHz)
• Tuned a variety of devices using 10-30 mil gold ribbon stubs (ribbon bonding) and copper stubs (epoxy)
• Worked extensively with Microwave Office and Ansoft Designer for simulating designs
Design Project
School Year 2008-2009
• Designed components of a 4x4 MIMO ultra wide band base station
• Selected Appropriate Local Oscillator according to specifications
• Designed Layout in ADS to integrate with poly phase shifter
• Conducted testing of local oscillator using spectrum analyzer
Radio Frequency Test Skills
Tests (not limited too): Scattering Parameters, Noise Figure, Third Order Intercept Point, 1dB Compression, and
Dynamic Range
Software: Microwave Office, Ansoft Design, Advanced Design System, PSpice, Multi-Sim, Autolab
Hardware: Vector Network Analyzers, Spectrum Analyzers, Oscilloscopes, Power Meters, Scalar Network
Analyzers, and Noise Figure Meters
Honors and Awards
• Army ROTC 4 Year Scholarship: 2004-Present • ROTC Scholar Award: 2006
• Most Improve Cadet: 2005and 2008 • ROTC “Award for Excellence” Nominee: 2009
• World War II Society Cadet Leadership Award: 2005
Activities
Army ROTC 2004-Present
• Cadet Command Sergeant Major (2009) in charge of Task Force Dragon Battalion
• In charge of over 100 cadets
• Developed time management, flexibility, and leadership skills.
Army ROTC Color Guard Captain 2008-2009
• Organized Color Guard Detail for events
• Ensured cadets know the proper marching techniques
ARMY ROTC Ranger Challenge-2006
• Developed leadership skills in more technical areas through difficult physical tasks such as 10K forced road
march and the construction of rope bridges.
Drexel University Cycling Team 2006-Present
• 2008 National Off Road Bicycle Association National Championship Qualifier