The aim of the course is to provide fundamental knowledge of designing and analyzing basic RF building blocks such as low-noise amplifier (LNA), mixers and oscillators etc in CMOS technologies dealing with numerous trade-offs such as noise, nonlinearity, power etc in the specific context of understanding RF system level concepts like modulation theory, wireless communication standards and RF transceiver architectures.

At the end of the course, the passing students must be able to,

• describe some system level concepts of RF receivers, transmitters and different properties of RF transceiver architectures
• realize an integrated circuit design of RF basic building blocks such as LNA, mixers, oscillators and power amplifiers using CMOS technologies, their detailed working/operation and effect of varying designers parameters on performance metrics such as noise, linearity, gain, bandwidth power etc.
• analysis and design of on-chip integrated passive devices in CMOS technologies such as integrated inductors, transformers, varactors and constant capacitors, understand the effect of parasitic resistance and capacitance at high frequencies and layout considerations.
• perform RF IC design simulations with Spectre RF.

The course primarily emphasizes on realization of RF building blocks in CMOS technologies. It also covers RF transceiver architectures. The contents are as follows.

• Basic concepts such as nonlinearity, noise, impedance transformation in RF design, a review of modulation techniques and wireless standards and RF transceiver architectures such as heterodyne, direct conversion, low-IF topologies
• Low-noise amplifiers such as common source topologies, noise cancelling architectures, differential structures
• Mixers including passive and active types with emphasis over gain, noise and linearity analysis and new improved active mixer topologies
• Passive devices such as integrated inductors, transformers and varactors
• Analysis and design of voltage controlled oscillators and their phase noise mechanism
• Phase locked loops of type-I and II along with their non-idealities
• Different power amplifier classes, their circuit topologies and limitations

B. Razavi, "RF Microelectronics," (2nd Ed), Pearson, ISBN 0132839415/9780132839419, 2012