SBIR Phase I: Ultra Linear FM Transceiver Employing Delta Sigma Modulation in Silicon Germanium

This Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase I project investigates a novel digital approach for modulation and demodulation of FMCW signals in precision radar systems and wideband radios. Recent availability of Silicon Germanium technologies supporting clock speeds of 10 GHz make possible this approach for potentially high volume 77 GHz automotive radar and 2 GHz cellular wCDMA applications. Ultimately the SiGe technology will support all digital and microwave circuitry so an entire RF product can be integrated on one low cost silicon-based chip. This Small Business Innovative Research Phase I project combines two rapidly developing technologies, delta-sigma signal processing of audio and video information, and silicon germanium(SiGe) wafer processing. When the SiGe integrated delta-sigma technique is proven successful for high performance microwave and millimeter wave radios, it has the potential to enable new commercial radio architectures because of the low cost, power and size of SiGe integrated circuits. Investigating the limits of clock frequencies and digital signal processing speeds using SiGe applied to radio modems will contribute greatly to this revolution. A successful delta-sigma modem implementation at microwave frequencies will translate the extensive knowledge of these techniques at lower frequencies to a significant new spectrum of applications.