Multi-GHz Bandwidth Radiation Hardened 32nm SOI Delta Sigma Modulation ADC/DACfor E-Band Satellite Communications

ABSTRACT:The E-Band frequency bands from 71 to 76 GHz and 81 to 86 GHz have been designated for satellite down- and uplinks, and have gained an increased interest. The wide bandwidth in excess of 1GHz allows the use of low order modulation schemes and simple receiver implementation. In other words, coarser Analog to Digital converters (ADC) and Digital to Analog (DAC) converters can be used in the RF front end. In this research, we will design the ADC and DAC using Second Order Delta Sigma Modulation techniques which achieve equivalent high oversampling by adding multiple paths and interleaved sampling while keeping the base sampling frequency low. The objective is to add paths to meet the requirement for 1GHz bandwidth and 9 bits effective number of bits. With Delta Sigma Modulation we can design monolithic System on a Chip solutions with integrated ADCs and DACs. The high density of the technology node can be exploited for implementing the System on a Chip capable of processing the high band width signals and providing the high speed host interface for space-borne communication systems. The Delta Sigma Modulators will be taped out in the Radiation Hardened 32nm SOI CMOS process.BENEFIT:Communication in the E-Band has established itself not only in point to point terrestrial links, but also satellite links to ground and inter satellite communications. The ADC and DACs developed in this project have a growing market in commercial E-Band communications. By designing the ADC and DAC using the Radiation Hardened 32nm SOI process, monolithic System on a Chip solutions with integrated ADC and DACs can be developed that save on cost, power and size while achieving the multi-GHz bandwidth requirements for E-Band communication in Space. Due to the high bandwidth required in E-Band, the ADC and DACs designed in this project can more than satisfy the demands for WiFi and 5G monolithic System on a Chip radio solutions where we can tradeoff bandwidth for even more power savings. Therefore, the demand for the chips extend beyond E-band and can benefit from higher volumes in these bands to expand the market and reduce costs.