Our specialized expertise is in:
- Analog and RF (up to 80 GHz) design in SiGe BiCMOS and deep-submicron CMOS technologies.
- Leading multi-disciplinary teams (system level design and partitioning, antenna design, IC architecture and design, signal processing and algorithm design).
- Design of large systems and system-on-chip, including analysis of silicon cross-talk.
- High-level modelling in VerilogA and Matlab/Octave/Python.
- Digital polar WLAN transmitters.
- System/RF analysis of AM, FM, DECT, Bluetooth, GSM, WLAN and 5G systems.
- System level implications of jitter in (delta-sigma) AD/DA converters.
- Up- and down-converters in the 30, 40, 60, 80 GHz frequency range.
- SiGe PA design up to 20 dBm.
- 60/80 GHz (integrated) radar design.
- Support for start-ups, WBSO subsidies, etc.
- Expert opinion in (legal) patent discussions.
This experience has been used in various circuits like a 60 GHz radar IC with on-chip antennas:
A 60 GHz antenna module:
The world’s first Bluetooth system-on-chip:
A digital polar modulator for WLAN:
The modelling and pcell-scripting for transmission-lines in 60 GHz designs:
A complete overview of our experience:
- Radio and radio-like systems:
- Analog AM and FM modulation,
- Digital modulation (GFSK, GMSK, OFDM, linear chirps),
- DECT, Bluetooth, GSM and WLAN 802.11a/b/g,
- FMCW and Doppler radar.
- Integration in silicon, bipolar, CMOS and SiGe processes.
- Design of key circuits (from DC up to 80 GHz):
- Bandgap, voltage references and low dropout regulators,
- LNA’s,
- Mixers,
- VCO/oscillator design,
- frequency divider circuits,
- phase-shifters for beam-steering.
- Modelling (including on-wafer measurements):
- Transmission-lines (at 60 GHz),
- On-chip passives (R, C, L and bondpads),
- Varactors,
- (on-chip) SAW filters.
- Receiver, Transmitter and Synthesizer system (including linear chirp generation) design.
- Antenna design at 1, 2.5, 5, 10, 24 and 60 GHz (monopole, dipole, patch-antennas and horn-antennas).
- Design of antennas arrays and array-factor (including scripts to generate the PCB gerber file and dxf-files as basis for EM-simulation tools).
- Cadence:
- Virtuoso,
- SpectreRF (including PSS, PAC and PNOISE analysis),
- VerilogA,
- ADS Momentum for simulating RF structures,
- Cadence EMX for simulating RF structures,
- Skill scripts for automatic layout generation (transmission-lines, inductors, fringe-capacitors).
- System level modelling in Matlab, Octave and Python.
- Signal processing for Doppler- and FMCW-radar in Matlab, Octave and Python:
- fft, choice of window functions,
- accurate average and peak-detection of spread-frequency signals,
- VCO phase-noise suppression effects in FMCW radar also known as range correlation,
- GMSK (DECT, Bluetooth, etc) demodulation.
- EMC and shielding analysis of circuits and systems.