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Advanced Design of RF/Microwave Circuit

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A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Circuit and Signal Processing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 June 2023) | Viewed by 22456

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Wen-Cheng Lai

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Guest Editor

1. Bachelor Program in Industrial Projects, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Yunlin, Taiwan
2. Department of Electronic Engineering, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Yunlin, Taiwan
Interests: MEMS sensing design; hardware/EE/RF circuit and IC design; antenna/microwave wireless design; EMC/EMI design; millimeter-wave and terahertz communication
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Lidia Dobrescu

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technology, Universitatea POLITEHNICA din București, 060042 București, Romania
Interests: nanodevices series
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Dr. Kan Yu

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Guest Editor

Computer Science & Information Technology, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
Interests: Internet of Thing

Dr. Wen Liu

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Guest Editor

Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China
Interests: wide bandgap semiconductor devices and their integrated circuit; wireless power transfer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

RF/microwave transmitters and receivers for wireless networks, optical networking, and nanodevices for hybrid RF/optical transceivers are some of the multiple electronics IoT that constitute enabling technologies for low power consumption and communication networking. To implement such IoT devices, nanodevices, wireless power transfer, RF microwave frontend, and analog integrated circuits are in great need.

RF and microwave integrated circuits for device applications have dominated the semiconductor market during the last few years. This, along with nanoscale integration capabilities, permits the design and fabrication of low power miniature systems, providing even more advantages for the exponential expansion of handheld devices into the global market.

This Special Issue aims to publish recent advances on RF and microwave integrated circuits and antenna design, giving more attention and focus on frontend transmitter and receiver circuits, circuits for frontend optical processing, A/D and D/A high performance, low noise (EMI/RFI), low consumption devices, and wireless power transfer.

Representative topics of interest include the following:

RF frontend transmitter and receiver circuits (PAs, LNAs, PLL, mixers, oscillators);
Frontend optical communication circuits (transimpedance amplifiers, modulators);
Wideband A/D and D/A converters, sample and hold/track and hold amplifiers, sensor devices, nanodevices, biosensing;
Photoelectric sensing, network communication, microwave circuits;
Wide bandgap semiconductor devices and their integrated circuit, wireless power transfer;
Techniques for system-on-chip (SoC) development of multiple radios, high performance edge computing, embedded IoT;
Antenna design, electromagnetic wave, high speed signal design, EMI, RFI.

Dr. Wen-Cheng Lai
Prof. Dr. Lidia Dobrescu
Dr. Kan Yu
Dr. Wen Liu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Electronics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

RF/ microwave frontend transmitter and receiver circuits
Nanodevices
Wireless power transfer
Communication
Internet of Things

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 3488 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Design of a Wide-Dynamic-Range and High-Linearity RMS Power Detector for mm-Wave Applications in 65 nm CMOS

by Xi-An Wu, Zechen Zhang, Hong Liu and Tong Tian

Electronics 2023, 12(21), 4402; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12214402 - 25 Oct 2023

Viewed by 810

Abstract

In this paper, a wide dynamic range RMS power detector with an operating frequency from 24 GHz to 35 GHz mm-wave frequency is presented. The power detector is fabricated in a 65 nm CMOS process. It is composed of a power detector unit, a radio frequency signal attenuator and a linear proportional voltage adder. The equalization technique is used to achieve a good linearity performance. The input dynamic range of the power detector is expanded by using one radio frequency signal attenuator and five power detector units. The simulation results show the slope of V_OUT versus input power remaining constant at around 0.06 V/dBm when the input signal power varies from −10 dBm to 10 dBm. The difference in output voltage varies by only 0.03 V when the input power varies from −10 to 0 dBm and 0 to 10 dBm. These all indicate that the proposed power detector achieves a good linearity performance. The measured results also show that the proposed power detector achieves a wide dynamic range and a high linearity performance from −10 dBm to 10 dBm. The detectable dynamic range is enhanced by 3.3 times compared to that achieved when only using one single power detector unit, while it only consumes about 0.75 mW under a 1.2 V supply voltage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Design of RF/Microwave Circuit)

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16 pages, 1880 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analytical Approach to Improve the Performance of a Fully Integrated Class-F Power Amplifier with 0.13 µm BiCMOS Technology Using Drain–Bulk Capacitor Modulation

by Smail Traiche, Mohamed Trabelsi, Ali Bououden and Mustapha C. E. Yagoub

Electronics 2023, 12(13), 2784; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12132784 - 23 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 787

Abstract

This article reports a novel technique based on drain–bulk capacitor modulation to improve the performance design of a class-F power amplifier (PA) used in low-power transceivers based on the I-Q amplitude modulation technique considering linearity–efficiency–miniaturization trade-offs. This idea is carried out by implementing a tuned capacitor in parallel with a cascode transistor on the output of the power stage to enhance the shape of the voltage–current amplitudes of the class-F PA by creating a new harmonic current component. Simulated results were obtained for the power back-off region of the proposed configuration, with an output power, power gain and power-added efficiency of 8 dBm (+ 5 dBm)

^{B}

, 19 dB (+ 5 dB)

^{B}

and 45% (+ 5% to 10%)

^{B}

, respectively. In addition, post-layout simulations revealed a similar level of output power, a power gain of a 20 dB and a 28% power-added efficiency for an added capacitance equal to 1.3 pF. Class-F PA is implemented on a

732 \times 605

μ

^{2}

chip’s surface. (

^{B}

: indicates the improved values in the power back-off region). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Design of RF/Microwave Circuit)

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13 pages, 910 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Design of a GaAs-Based Ka-Band Low Noise Amplifier MMIC with Gain Flatness Enhancement

by Zhe Yang, Kuisong Wang, Yihui Fan, Yuepeng Yan and Xiaoxin Liang

Electronics 2023, 12(10), 2325; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12102325 - 21 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1773

Abstract

This paper presents a GaAs-based Ka-band low noise amplifier (LNA) with gain flatness enhancement. Active device optimization and inductive degeneration techniques were employed to obtain a low noise figure (NF) and good input/output return loss. In order to achieve a flat gain response [...] Read more.

μ

m GaAs pHEMT process, and the chip area is only 1.5 × 0.9 mm

^{2}

. Measurement results show that the presented LNA exhibits a small signal gain of 21.5 ± 0.3 dB, and the NF of the LNA is less than 2.2 dB from 32 to 40 GHz at room temperature. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Design of RF/Microwave Circuit)

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14 pages, 3026 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Digital Finite Impulse Response Equalizer for Nonlinear Frequency Response Compensation in Wireless Communication

by Zhenyu Zhang, Yanan Li and Bassam Nima

Electronics 2023, 12(9), 2010; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12092010 - 26 Apr 2023

Viewed by 1191

Abstract

Signal distortion can occur when the gain or attenuation of a component changes non-linearly with frequency, which is referred to as nonlinear frequency response. Common communications components such as filters, amplifiers, and mixers can lead to nonlinear frequency responses, which can cause errors in transmitting and receiving. This article outlines the design and demonstration of a static and dynamic finite impulse response (FIR) digital equalizer circuit. Using predistortion topology with a coupled feedback loop, the adaptive Least-Mean Square (LMS) algorithm was implemented. The FIR filter was simulated in MATLAB and Vivado and then implemented onto an Eclypse Z7 Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) evaluation board. Simulations showed that the custom RTL module gave the same frequency response that was produced in MATLAB calculations. The filter was able to dynamically equalize the frequency responses of different nonlinear boards that were used as the devices under test (DUT). Measurements showed that the equalizer was able to compensate for system distortion from 0.2 to 0.8 Nyquist frequency. The phase response remained relatively linear across the band of interest, with a group delay flatness less than 10 ns. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Design of RF/Microwave Circuit)

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14 pages, 6741 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Improved 3D Ultra-Wideband High-Efficiency Substrate Integrated Coaxial Meander Delay Line

by Hongxi Zhang and Pei Wang

Electronics 2022, 11(23), 3869; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11233869 - 23 Nov 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1557 | Correction

Abstract

This paper proposes an improved substrate integrated coaxial meander delay line to overcome the beam dispersion problem in a spaceborne synthetic aperture radar phased array antenna system with large bandwidth. The delay line operates in the range of 4 GHz–10 GHz with a relative bandwidth of 85.7%. In the proposed structure, the delay effect is generated by the combination of a meander delay line and a substrate integrated coaxial line, which results in a significant improvement in the delay efficiency. Furthermore, a planar turn structure, a vertical transition structure, and a microstrip transition structure are designed to realize three-dimensional tight wiring. The proposed delay lines are fabricated on three and five layered Rogers RO3006 PCB substrate. The experimental tests are conducted on the 3.1 ns and 6.4 ns delay lines with the dimensions of 38 mm × 7 mm × 0.5 mm and 37 mm × 9.2 mm × 1 mm, respectively. The experimental results indicate that the insertion and return losses of the two lines are within the reasonable range. Compared with the related research, the proposed delay lines’ delay time, delay multiplier, and relative bandwidth are improved by 2.13–160 times, 1.025–6.8 times, and 2.14–3.86 times, respectively, which shows their good practical value and application prospect. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Design of RF/Microwave Circuit)

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12 pages, 1343 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Multi-Band LNA Covering 17–38 GHz in 45 nm CMOS SOI

by Fang Han, Xuzhi Liu, Chao Wang, Xiao Li, Quanwen Qi, Xiaoran Li and Zicheng Liu

Electronics 2022, 11(19), 3255; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11193255 - 10 Oct 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1580

Abstract

This paper presents a multi-band low-noise amplifier (LNA) in the 45-nm CMOS silicon-on-insulator (SOI) process. The LNA consists of three stages, with the differential cascode amplifier as the core structure. The first stage is mainly responsible for input matching to ensure favourable noise characteristics and bandwidth, while the subsequent stages increase the gain. Moreover, the LNA utilizes baluns for input/output and interstage impedance matching. Switch capacitances are added to switch the three operating bands of the LNA, which cover 17–38 GHz overall. Measurement results show that the proposed LNA achieves a gain (S21) of 23.0 dB and a noise figure (NF) of 4.0 dB. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Design of RF/Microwave Circuit)

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15 pages, 4556 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Enhanced Energy Density of rGO/TiO₂ Based Nanocomposite as Electrode Material for Supercapacitor

by Palani Anandhi, Santhanam Harikrishnan, Veerabadran Jawahar Senthil Kumar, Wen-Cheng Lai and Alaa El Din Mahmoud

Electronics 2022, 11(11), 1792; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11111792 - 06 Jun 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2257

Abstract

TiO₂ electrode material is a poor choice for supercapacitor electrodes because it has low conductivity, poor cyclic stability, and a low capacitance value. It is inevitable to enhance electrode materials of this kind by increasing the surface area and combining high electronic conductivity materials. In the current research work, it was proposed to combine reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as it might provide a large surface area for intercalation and deintercalation, and also, it could establish the shorter paths to ion transfer, leading to a reduction in ionic resistance. The size, surface morphology, and crystalline structure of as-prepared rGO/TiO₂ nanocomposites were studied using HRTEM, FESEM, and XRD, respectively. Using an electrochemical workstation, the capacitive behaviors of the rGO/TiO₂ electrode materials were assessed with respect to scan rate and current density. The capacitances obtained through cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge techniques were found to be higher when compared to TiO₂ alone. Furthermore, the as-synthesized nanocomposites were able to achieve a higher energy density and better cycle stability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Design of RF/Microwave Circuit)

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11 pages, 4727 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Printed Split-Ring Loops with High Q-Factor for Wireless Power Transmission

by Jingchen Wang, Mark Paul Leach, Eng Gee Lim, Zhao Wang, Rui Pei, Zhenzhen Jiang and Yi Huang

Electronics 2021, 10(22), 2884; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10222884 - 22 Nov 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2584

Abstract

The use of printed spiral coils (PSCs) as inductors in the construction of Wireless Power Transmission (WPT) circuits can save space and be integrated with other circuit boards. The challenges and issues of PSCs present for WPT mainly relate to maintaining an inductive characteristic at frequencies in Ultra High Frequency (UHF) band and to maximising the power transfer efficiency (PTE) between primary and secondary circuits. A new technique is proposed to increase the Q-factor relative to that offered by the PSC, which is shown to enhance WPT performance. This paper provides four-turn planar split-ring loops with high Q-factor for wireless power transmission at UHF bands. This design enhances the power transfer efficiency more than 12 times and allows for a greater transfer distance from 5 mm to 20 mm, compared with a conventional planar rectangular spiral coil. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Design of RF/Microwave Circuit)

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12 pages, 5876 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Low-Noise, High-Gain, and Small-Size UWB Mixer Utilizing Negative Impedance Technique and Source Input Method

by Zhaokun Zhou, Xiaoran Li, Xinghua Wang and Wei Gu

Electronics 2021, 10(21), 2655; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10212655 - 29 Oct 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1688

Abstract

This paper presents an ultra-wideband (UWB) down-conversion mixer with low-noise, high-gain and small-size. The negative impedance technique and source input method are applied for the proposed mixer. The negative impedance achieves the dynamic current injection and increases the mixer output impedance, which reduces the mixer flicker noise and increases its conversion gain. The source input method allows the input matching networks to be cancelled, avoiding the noise and loss introduced by the matching resistors, saving the chip area occupied by the matching inductors. The proposed mixer is designed in 45-nm SOI process provided by GlobalFoundries. The simulation results show a conversion gain of 11.4–14.3 dB, ranging from 3.1 to 10.6 GHz, a minimum noise figure of 9.8 dB, a RF port return loss of less than −11 dB, a port-to-port isolation of better than −48 dB, and a core chip area of 0.16 × 0.16 mm². The power consumption from a 1 V supply voltage is 2.85 mW. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Design of RF/Microwave Circuit)

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16 pages, 3523 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Electric and Magnetic Design of a Deployable WPT System for Industrial and Defense UAV Applications

by Filip Rosu and Alina Badescu

Electronics 2021, 10(18), 2252; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10182252 - 13 Sep 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1898

Abstract

The following paper presents a highly efficient wireless power transfer (WPT) system for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) applications. The proposed system is designed as a deployable landing pad, where UAVs can be efficiently charged at distances up to 20 cm, while the UAV is landing. The operation frequency is 50 kHz. The current work presents two major contributions that help improve this aspect: a novel RX charging pad geometry and an unconventional design of a low-voltage, high-power DC–AC inverter using discrete MOSFET transistors. Both the pad’s geometry and the inverter are designed specifically for UAV applications. The input DC to output AC system efficiency peaks at approximately 95%. The peak efficiency is obtained at power transfers of 625 W. A major difference between the present design and traditionally used state-of-the-art systems is the low DC supply voltage requirement of just 24 V, compared with typical values that range from 50 up to 300 V at similar output power. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Design of RF/Microwave Circuit)

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13 pages, 6136 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Chamber Pressures on the Passivation Layer of Hydrogenated Nano-Crystalline Silicon Mixed-Phase Thin Film by Using Microwave Annealing

by Jia-Hao Lin, Hung-Wei Wu, Wei-Chen Tien, Cheng-Yuan Hung and Shih-Kun Liu

Electronics 2021, 10(18), 2199; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10182199 - 08 Sep 2021

Viewed by 1877

Abstract

This paper proposes the effects of chamber pressures on the passivation layer of hydrogenated nano-crystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) mixed-phase thin film using microwave annealing (MWA) to achieve a high-quality thin film. The use of 40.68 MHz very-high-frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (VHFPECVD) deposited the nc-Si:H mixed-phase thin film on the top and bottom of the n-type crystalline silicon substrate. The chamber pressures (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 Torr) of the VHFPECVD were critical factors in controlling the carrier lifetime of the symmetric structure. By using the VHFPECVD to deposit the nc-Si:H and using the MWA to enhance the quality of the symmetric structure, the deposited nc-Si:H’s properties of a crystalline volume fraction of 29.6%, an optical bandgap of 1.744 eV, and a carrier lifetime of 2942.36 μs were well achieved, and could be valuable in thin-film solar-cell applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Design of RF/Microwave Circuit)

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