A 19pJ/pulse UWB Transmitter With Dual Capacitively-Coupled Digital Power Amplifiers

A pulsed ultra-wideband transmitter operating in the 3-to-5GHz band is designed in 90nm CMOS. The all-digital architecture generates pulses by capacitively combining two paths which have in-phase RF signals, yet have counter-phase common-mode components that are canceled. This technique results in FCC-compliant pulse generation without requiring the use of any off-chip filters. The transmitter operates at a maximum data rate of 15.6Mbps, requires a core area of 0.07mm2, and achieves an energy efficiency of 19pJ/pulse.