Built-In Measurements in Low-Cost Digital-RF Transceivers

Abstract

SUMMARYDigital RF solutions have been shown to be advantageous in various design aspects, such as accurate modeling, design reuse, and scaling when migrating to the next CMOS process node. Consequently, the majority of new low-cost and feature cell phones are now based on this approach. However, another equally important aspect of this approach to wireless transceiver SoC design, which is instrumental in allowing fast and low-cost productization, is in creating the inherent capability to assess performance and allow for low-cost built-in calibration and compensation, as well as characterization and final-testing. These internal capabilities can often rely solely on the SoCs existing processing resources, representing a zero cost adder, requiring only the development of the appropriate algorithms. This paper presents various examples of built-in measurements that have been demonstrated in wireless transceivers offered by Texas Instruments in recent years, based on the digital-RF processor (DRP TM ) technology, and highlights the importance of the various types presented; built-in self-calibration and compensation, built-in self-characterization, and builtin self-testing (BiST). The accompanying statistical approach to the design and productization of such products is also discussed, and fundamental terms related with these, such as 'soft specifications', are defined. key words: system-on-chip (SoC), digital RF processor (DRP), design for testability (DfT), design for manufacturability (DfM), built-in self-testing (BiST), soft specifications

Productisation: A review and research agenda

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An On-Chip Self-Characterization of a Digital-to-Time Converter by Embedding it in a First-Order <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Delta\Sigma$ </tex-math> </inline-formula> Loop

“…autonomously and preferably automatically, e.g. in a high-volume production line), in a way that the sensitive DTC timing output does not have to leave the IC boundary to an external measurement instrument [6], [7], one approach, as illustrated in Fig. 1(a), is to measure it with a TDC of an order-of-magnitude better resolution and linearity, while maintaining sufficiently wide range.…”

“…1(b), in order to create a 1st-order TDC. The resulting resolution is fine enough to be able to characterize the embedded DTC in a built-in selft-test (BIST) manner [6], [7]. Thus constructed TDC requires only one reference clock.…”