Tutorial: Fundamentals of Mixed-Mode RF Transceivers

RF systems that directly interface between digital bits and RF front-ends are rapidly gaining interest as the number of transceivers in mobile systems is increasing. This tutorial will review the concepts of direct digital-to-RF conversion and focus on the analysis and design of digital transceiver building blocks, such as switched capacitor RF-DACs, current-mode RF-DACs, and directly quantized receiver circuits. The tutorial will focus on the practical implementation of these circuit blocks using theoretical predictions.