Inherent Self-Interference Cancellation for In-Band Full-Duplex Single-Antenna Systems

We propose a new analog self-interference cancellation (SIC) technique for in-band full-duplex transmission in single-antenna systems. We use an RF circulator to separate transmitted (Tx) and received (Rx) signals. Instead of estimating the SI signals and subtracting them from the Rx signals, we use the inherent secondary SI signals at the circulator, reflected by the antenna, to cancel the primary SI signals leaked from the Tx port to the Rx port. We modified the frequency response of the secondary SI signals using a reconfigurable impedance mismatched terminal (IMT) circuit, which consists of two varactor diodes at the antenna port. We can also adjust the frequency band and the bandwidth by controlling the varactor diodes bias voltages. The IMT adjustability makes it robust to antenna input impedance variations and fabrication errors. We analyze and fabricate a prototype of the proposed technique at 2.45 GHz. We achieved more than 40-dB cancellation over 65 MHz of bandwidth. Our technique is independent of the RF circulator and antenna type and it can be applied to any frequency band. It is also very relevant to small mobile devices because it provides a simple and low-power and low-cost adjustable analog SIC technique.