2 GHz Automatically Tuned Q-Enhanced CMOS Bandpass Filter

University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4, Email: haslett@enel.ucalgary.ca tTRLabs, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2E 8X2
VDD

*RFIC Research Group, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering,

Joshua K. Nakaska*t and James W. Haslett*t

Abstract- An automatically tuned 2GHz 0.18um CMOS 3-stage RF filter is presented. The bandpass filter achieves center frequency tuning while maintaining a relatively fiat passband. Q-enhanced resonators allow for more than 28dB of insertion loss compensation in the filter response. Measured results show that the filter is tunable in frequency by 32.5%, has a 14.7dB noise figure, a -3.9dBm 1dB input compression point, a +5.ldBm 11P3 intercept, and consumes 2lmA from a 1.8V supply. Automatic tuning of the multistage filter is performed by over-enhancing each stage of the filter until oscillation occurs to set resonant frequency and then backing off the enhancement using a passive Q tuning method, which does not effect the resonant frequency. Automatic frequency and quality factor tuning control were performed using digital logic synthesized in an FPGA. The hardware in-situ automatic tuning of the multi-pole integrated filter eliminates the need for a replica filter. Index Terms- Tunable filter, active filter.
I. INTRODUCTION

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Fig. 1. Novel Q-Enhanced Resonator

RF filters are useful in transceiver architectures where band selection or image-rejection is desired. Integrating bandpass filters at low GHz frequencies is challenging due to low quality factor (Q) passive components which leads to substantial insertion loss in most standard technologies. Significant research has focussed on developing an active circuit based filter solution with acceptable insertion loss and distortion. The active circuit solutions attempt to compensate (and in some cases completely cancel) the series resistive loss of inductors and/or transformers. A comprehensive comparison of recently published Qenhanced filters is presented in [1]. A novel Q-enhanced parallel resonant LC-tank was proposed and theoretically described previously in [2] for use in tunable filter applications by the authors (Fig. 1). The resonator is independently tunable with respect to resonant frequency and quality factor. In the circuit shown in Fig. 1, Vgl sets the bias point for the Q-enhancement for the resonator. Increasing Vg 1 provides a coarse increase in Q-enhancement and a significant shift in resonant frequency. Varactors were used to provide tunability throughout the resonator: (i) for frequency in the Q-enhanced resonator (Cp,Cs) and (ii) for passive Q-tuning (Cqf). Using varactors in each of the resonators decreases the starting Q of the LC-tank. Decreasing Cs provides a large upwards shift of the resonant frequency and decreasing Cp provides a

small upwards shift of the resonant frequency. Decreasing Cqf increases the effective Q as seen at the differential input of the resonator without significant frequency shift. In this paper, we describe the implementation of the new resonator and its applications in the design and fabrication of a 3-stage bandpass filter (Sec. 11,111). An automatic tuning scheme which provides in-situ tuning of the filter response was implemented using an FPGA to demonstrate the suitability of the new resonator for automatic tuning, eliminating the need for a replica filter (Sec. IV).
II.

FILTER DESIGN

A three-stage series-coupled shunt resonator filter prototype was designed to operate beyond 2GHz (Fig. 2). LC-tanks Tank] and Tank3 shown in Fig. 2 are identical and are biased exactly the same. LC-tank Tank2 utilized the same transformer as used in the other LC-tanks but the varactors were generally biased differently than the end resonators to achieve the required filter response. Series coupling capacitors (Cs] and Cs2 in Fig. 2) were implemented utlizing two capacitors in series, one of which was a high quality MIM capacitor and the other was a varactor. The bottom plate of the MIM was connected to the input of the varactor. This allowed for a much greater effective combined quality factor for Cs] and Cs2 at the cost of decreased filter tuning range. Also, from the input of the filter to the output, each series capacitance had (i) first the MIM capacitor and, (ii) second the varactor. This non-symmetry improves the transmission coefficent of the signal from the input port to the output port (S21) (Port 1 and Port 2 in Fig.2) while reducing the transmission coefficient in the opposite direction (S12)
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Cs2: 0.4-0.6pF

Fig. 2. 3-Stage Differential Bandpass Filter with Q-Enhanced Resonators

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Fig. 4. Filter Frequency Response Measurement
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Fig. 3. Microphotograph of the 3-Stage Filter

without affecting the loading on any of the resonators. This technique is acceptable for filter applications which only require a single transmission direction. Introducing this minor asymmetry in the transmission response is useful as less Q-enhancement is required to obtain OdB of insertion loss.
III. FILTER MEASUREMENTS The filter was fabricated in 0.18um CMOS and consumed 2.8mm2 of silicon (Fig. 3). The filter was designed to be compatible with two dual RF G-S-G-S-G wafer probes and two 10 finger DC wafer probes. Flat passband frequency tuning of the filter was demonstrated using manual tuning (Fig. 4). In Fig. 4 the flatness of the passband and asymmetry of the filter response (as designed) can be clearly seen. The measured Sll at the input is shown in

At 2 GHz the design yielded the following measurements: a -3.9dB 1 dB compression point, a +5.ldBm third order intercept point compared to +5.5dBm in simulation, and an average in-band noise figure of 14.7dB.
IV. AUTOMATIC TUNING

Fig. 4. Measured linearity and noise performance were good for an active filter and matched simulation results well.

Automatic tuning requires tunability of the filter center frequency and the effective quality factor of each active resonator. Fig. 5 shows that the passive Q-tuning method is capable of varying the insertion loss of the filter response by 8dB (by varying Cqf in Fig. 2) and that the total compensation is more than 28dB compared to the properly biased but otherwise unenhanced filter response. Each resonator in the filter can be tuned from 1.8GHz to 2.5GHz - the end resonators limit the tuning range as they are more heavily loaded than the center resonator. In [3] an automatic tuning method was demonstrated for a single stage resonator filter. This work utilizes a similar method to that described in [3] but implements the method for a multi-stage filter and utilizes the new Q-enhanced LC-tank circuit theoretically described in [2].

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Q-Enhanced Filter Response (active and passive Q-tuning set for 0-dB insertion loss)
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-Enhanced Filter

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(active Q-tuning remaining set for 0-dB insertion loss)

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1.0

1.5

Frequency (GHz)

2.0

2.5

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Fig. 5. Measured Filter Response with Q-Tuning- active Q-tuning is held constant while passive Q-tuning is varied for the top two curves

The implemented tuning algorithm starts by setting the center resonator Q to initiate oscillation and subsequently tuning the center resonator to the correct frequency, and then reducing the Q using the passive method until oscillation stops. Then the end resonators are set to oscillation and tuned to the correct frequency, and then the Qenhancement is reduced using the passive method until oscillation terminates. At this point the desired frequency response is achieved. A simplified flowchart of the synthesized tuning algorithm for a single resonator is shown in Fig. 7. Loop 1 in the flowchart is the frequency tuning stage for each resonator and Loop 2 is the loop in which the enhancement is reduced until oscillations stop. Loops 3A-3B and 3A-3C are only used if the pre-selected starting bias point for the

not produce oscillation. The final system was built using the hardware components as shown in Fig. 6. The digital logic was synthesized into a rapid prototyping FPGA board - only simple logic gates with no microprocessors or proprietary hardware specific algorithms were utilized. The single-ended input signal is applied to the system at the wafer probe tip - from Port 1 of the network analyzer for testing purposes as shown in Fig. 6. Port 2 of the network analyzer represents the system output. For testing purposes a spectrum analyzer was also used to verify correct operation. The switches at the ports of the network and spectrum analyzers in Fig. 6 illustrate the connections used for the demonstration of the system. The system is limited by the input sensitivity of the RF prescaler (in this case a 2 N prescaler was used, where N = 5). A frequency comparison block in Fig. 6 was synthesized in the final implementation, although a phasefrequency detector was also used in a previous version of the complete system. Filter responses at selected steps of the tuning algorithm are shown in Fig. 8. The automatic tuning system is capable of tuning the filter response in-situ from 1.8GHz to 2.5GHz (32.5% tuning range) eliminating the need for a replica layout. Typical responses for this first version of the hardware tuning algorithm are shown in Fig. 9(a) for 50MHz frequency increments. Fig. 9(b) shows only three of the responses from Fig. 9(a) to illustrate that at a center frequency of 2.21GHz that a flat passband is obtained and at offsets on either side the response becomes slightly less flat. This result is expected as the couplings between resonators (Cs,Cs2) are not adjusted in this first version of the tuning algorithm. A more sophisticated tuning algorithm could adjust Cs] and Cs2 to flatten the passband further, as was done in Figs. 4 and 5 manually.

algorithm does

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Fig. 7. Simplified Automatic Tuning Flowchart for a Single Resonator

Frequency (GHz) (b)

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Fig. 9. Frequency Response Measurements from the Hardware Tuning Algorithm

Over Enhanced Response (State B = State A + with end resonators over-enhanced)

Passive Q Tuning for 0-dB Insertion Loss (State C = State B + end resonators Q-enhancement reduced until oscillation ceased

of 10 for the design with the highest FOM in [1]).

V. CONCLUSION was fabricated in a 0.18um CMOS process. The active

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the center resonator Q-enhanced and Q-enhancement reduced until oscillation ceased (State A)

Response with only

A nominal 2 GHz CMOS integrated bandpass filter

2.5

3.5

Frequency (GHz)

Fig. 8. Frequency Response Measurements After Selected Steps of the Tuning Algorithm

filter demonstrated superior linearity and noise figure characteristics, and the largest reported tuning range compared to other published works to date. The differential filter utilizes novel Q-enhanced resonators and is tunable from 1.8GHz to 2.5GHz. Each of the 3 stages in the filter is independently tuned using an over-enhancement technique and this work demonstrates multi-stage in-situ automatic tuning of a multi-pole integrated filter using over-enhancement for the first time. Automatic tuning of the filter utlizes a complete hardware solution and eliminates the need for a replica filter layout.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The figure of merit (FOM) used to compare the designs in [1] is calculated based on the number of poles, the inband IdB compression point, the filter center frequency and Q, the power dissipation, and the noise figure. The filter reported in this work has an FOM of 76 compared to 77 for the best reported CMOS design compared in [1] (the next closest CMOS implementation had an FOM of 72) and this design has the largest tuning range (not used in the FOM calculation) of any of the reported filters in [1] ten times the tuning range of the design with the highest FOM. Therefore a similar FOM was obtained while substantially improving the tuning range, with a substantially lower starting Q (5.15 for this work compared to a starting Q
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This research was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, TRLabs, iCORE, and CMC Microsystems.
REFERENCES [1] B. Georgescu, and I. G. Finvers, and F. Ghannouchi, "2 GHz QEnhanced Active Filter With Low Passband Distortion and High Dynamic Range," IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, vol. 41, iss. 9, pp. 2029-2039, Sep. 2006. [2] J. K. Nakaska, and J. W. Haslett, "A CMOS quality factor enhanced parallel resonant LC-tank with independent Q and frequency tuning for RF integrated filters," Proceedings of the Fifth International
Workshop on System-on-Chip for Real-Time Applications, pp. 96100, Jul. 2005. [3] X. He, and B. Kuhn, "A 2.5-GHz Low-Power, High Dynamic Range, Self-Tuned Q-Enhanced LC Filter in SOI," IEEE Journal of Solid-

State Circuits, vol. 40, no. 8, pp. 1618-1628, Aug. 2005.

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