Analog Front End (AFE) and Analog-to-Digital Conversion (ADC) Design for UWB Systems

Ultra wide band (UWB) systems are often promoted as a method of optimizing the increasingly limited bandwidth available for information transfer. However, by virtue of their low power and wide instantaneous bandwidth, UWB systems are susceptible to jamming and aperture blinding by stronger narrowband systems licensed for use in the same band and often times co-located with the UWB system. To mitigate the potentially adverse effects of the hundreds of jammers that are possible in a dynamic, real-world environment requires a judicious selection and design of the UWB receiver system's architecture and components. SFC, along with our distinguished research partners, propose to research, design, and develop a state-of-the-art UWB receiver system integrated circuit (IC) "module" that facilitates immunity to narrow band signals when incorporated into a UWB system. To maximize the functionality of the module, it will have the coding inputs to allow the module to be used in parallel with identical (or similar) ICs so that systems can be designed for (or adapted to) as much or as little bandwidth as required for the mission of the moment.