A 3.9 pJ/pulse differential IR-UWB pulse generator in 90 nm CMOS

A low-power impulse radio (IR) ultra wideband (UWB) pulse generator (PG) for low-data-rate (LDR) applications is presented. Different constraints on LDR IR-UWB systems are analyzed. A new differential IR-UWB PG structure is proposed, it utilizes polarization property of antennas to increase the output power. The PG is power-efficient since it does not have precise high-frequency carrier generators. Also, it contains only digital circuits, which is very beneficial for modern CMOS technology. The PG is realized in a TSMC 90 nm CMOS process. Measurements show the energy consumption from a 1.2 V supply to be 3.9 pj/pulse for 5-80 MHz pulse repetition frequency (PRF). The core area is 0.0011 mm
²
(26 μm × 42 μm).