A large dynamic range voltage controlled attenuator with improved linearity‐in‐dB for ultrasound applications

Li, Di; Fei, Chunlong; Li, Yani; Zhang, Qidong; Yang, Yong

doi:10.1002/cta.2592

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Based on the operation mode, VCAs can be differed into two categories, namely, digital 10–15 and analog 16–19 . Digital VCA is also called digital step attenuator.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, wide operating bandwidth, large dynamic range, and low insertion loss are also key parameters for the VCAs.Based on the operation mode, VCAs can be differed into two categories, namely, digital 10-15 and analog. [16][17][18][19] Digital VCA is also called digital step attenuator. Conventionally, digital VCA offers a high resolution but suffering from extreme phase differences between attenuation states induced by the internal capacitances of the devices.…”

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confidence: 99%

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A 20‐W wideband voltage controlled attenuator for millimeter‐wave applications

Wang

Hsu

Tsao

2023

Circuit Theory & Apps

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In this paper, we present a distributed voltage controlled attenuator (VCA) featuring an extremely high power handling capability of 20 W. Theoretical analyses have been performed to simultaneously achieve a wideband, low insertion loss, and high attenuation dynamic range performance. Implemented in a commercial 0.25-μm GaN-on-SiC high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) technology, a 1-to 25-GHz VCA was measured to perform a dynamic range of 24 dB, an average insertion loss of 3.4 dB, and an average input 1-dB compressed power (P 1dB ) of 43 dBm across the frequencies of interest. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this paper presents the monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) VCA with the reported highest power handling capability in such compact chip area, while maintaining a nice operating bandwidth and dynamic range.distributed, gallium nitride (GaN), power handling capability, voltage-controlled attenuator, wideband | INTRODUCTIONVoltage-controlled attenuators (VCAs) are commonly used in radio-frequency (RF) systems, such as protection of facilities in measurement setup, 1 phased-array transceiver systems, 2-6 and artificial satellite applications. [7][8][9] Unlike fixed attenuators that can only provide specific attenuation to the system, the attenuation level of VCAs is tunable to meet the requirement of different operating conditions. Due to the complex interactions between components integrated in communication systems, controlling power with high accuracy is essential to maintain proper operation of the system. VCAs are commonly used for gain controlling after power amplifiers, low-noise amplifiers, and array antennas. It not only controls the output power but also protects the receiving end. Such arrangement helps preventing the system to receive signals exceeding the critical level. Thus, a high power handling capability is necessary for the VCAs to avoid potential distortion during operation. Moreover, wide operating bandwidth, large dynamic range, and low insertion loss are also key parameters for the VCAs.Based on the operation mode, VCAs can be differed into two categories, namely, digital 10-15 and analog. [16][17][18][19] Digital VCA is also called digital step attenuator. Conventionally, digital VCA offers a high resolution but suffering from extreme phase differences between attenuation states induced by the internal capacitances of the devices. Moreover, the high complexity with design of the biasing network is also a critical issue for realizing digital VCA. As for the analog VCA, the issue regarding phase differences between the operating states can be mitigated. It also shows a less complexity in the circuit topology and biasing network comparing to the digital ones. This makes the analog VCA more feasible for integration in RF front-end systems requiring accurate control of the amplitude and phase differences.

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“…Based on the operation mode, VCAs can be differed into two categories, namely, digital 10–15 and analog 16–19 . Digital VCA is also called digital step attenuator.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A 20‐W wideband voltage controlled attenuator for millimeter‐wave applications

Wang

Hsu

Tsao

2023

Circuit Theory & Apps

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“…Thus, the overall received signal dynamic range is large and is beyond the range that a typical analog to digital converter can reach. 4,5 A way to overcome this issue is to use time gain compensation (TGC) stage, in which propagation attenuation is compensated by providing a gain that increases linearly in decibels as a function of time. 6 Indeed, in order to maintain the image uniformity and reduce the dynamic range requirements for the remaining circuits, a TGC amplifier is used.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, echo signals from the same imaging depth due to variation in acoustic impedances can vary widely in amplitude. Thus, the overall received signal dynamic range is large and is beyond the range that a typical analog to digital converter can reach 4,5 . A way to overcome this issue is to use time gain compensation (TGC) stage, in which propagation attenuation is compensated by providing a gain that increases linearly in decibels as a function of time 6 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A low power CMOS programmable gain amplifier employing positive feedback technique

Firouz

Aghdam

Jafarnejad

2022

Circuit Theory & Apps

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This paper presents a low power CMOS programmable gain amplifier (PGA) utilizing a novel gm‐boosting technique to increase the maximum achievable DC gain. The structure increases the effective transconductance of the circuit without any additional elements. The gain enhancement is accomplished without increasing the power consumption. The variable gain function is achieved by varying the effective transconductance of the circuit and its output resistance. The proposed PGA achieves a wide gain range of 47.5 dB from 2.1 to 49.6 dB with a constant bandwidth. According to the post‐layout simulation results of the proposed circuit in 0.18‐μm TSMC CMOS process the bandwidth and the input referred noise voltage at the maximum gain are 11.3 MHz and 10.76 nV/sqrt (Hz), respectively. The second and third harmonic distortions of the proposed PGA at the minimum gain are less than −72.4 and −40.7 dB, respectively. The core circuit of proposed PGA draws only 164 μA from a 1.2‐V supply voltage occupying an area of 29 μm * 26 μm.

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28-nm CMOS Ultrasound AFE With Split Attenuation for Optimizing Gain-Range, Noise, and Area

Yu,

Chen,

et al. 2023

IEEE Trans. Circuits Syst. I

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A large dynamic range voltage controlled attenuator with improved linearity‐in‐dB for ultrasound applications

Cited by 3 publications

References 35 publications

A 20‐W wideband voltage controlled attenuator for millimeter‐wave applications

A 20‐W wideband voltage controlled attenuator for millimeter‐wave applications

A low power CMOS programmable gain amplifier employing positive feedback technique

28-nm CMOS Ultrasound AFE With Split Attenuation for Optimizing Gain-Range, Noise, and Area

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