Broadband low power transmitter in SiGe technology based on maximum length sequences

This work presents a broadband transmitter of high versatility, where the spectral characteristics of the transmitted signal can be adapted for different applications. The transmitter is based on pseudo-random bit sequences (PRBS), capable of generating a sequence of a bit rate up to 80\, Gb/s. Moreover, the transmitter is equipped with a broadband double side-band mixer, which is capable of shifting the generated spectrum to the frequency range of interest, ranging from 10\, GHz up to 60\, GHz. For the implementation of a broadband and low power transmitter, two novel broadband circuit techniques were developed and analyzed. The introduced techniques were employed in all designed components. Hence, a broadband performance with a low power consumption, compared to state of the art designs, is achieved. Several components were designed in the scope of this work, including baluns, a PRBS generator, broadband amplifiers and a broadband double band mixer. Two baluns were designed: a broadband low-power active balun operating from near DC-frequencies up to 70\, GHz and a passive Marchand balun operating from 15\, GHz up to 80\, GHz. A 2$^{11}$-1, 80\, Gb/s PRBS generator, employing parallel architecture is presented. The generator is optimized to provide a high bit rate as well as a long sequence length without any need of inductive peaking for a lower power consumption. The PRBS generator has a power consumption of 576mW to 1W, dependant on bit rate. Differential multi-stage amplifiers were built within the clock network for clock signal formation and at the transmitter output stage to boost the signal power prior to transmission. The transmitter was built into a radar setup to demonstrate its functionality, expected capabilities and potential applications.