RF and Base-Band circuit blocks for LR-UWB receivers

Low Data Rate Ultra-Wideband (LR-UWB) systems have an enormous potential and compare favorably to other communication systems, in terms of capacity and low-complexity. This stems from the channels located at rather high frequencies (3.5GHz-10GHz), which offer each a large signal bandwidth (500MHz). However, these aggressive broadband frequency properties of UWB systems make the design of low-power receivers quite challenging. In this paper the circuit blocks that constitute an LR-UWB receiver are illustrated. They are designed in CMOS 90nm technology. The RF section, including LNAs and oscillators is considered first. Secondly, the problems and the circuit solutions related to the base-band section, including filters and programmable gain amplifiers are addressed.