Multiphysical design methodology for the heterogeneous integration of an RF receiver

A multiphysical design methodology dealing with the heterogeneous integration of microelectronic and micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS) suitable for modern RF transceiver is presented. The proposed approach focuses the design and verification efforts on the transceiver performance requirements by providing the specification and evaluation scopes at the different abstraction levels. The methodology is demonstrated for an LTE user equipment receiver consisting of a low noise amplifier (LNA) and a MEMS-based oscillator for the down conversion stage. The evaluation of the demodulation performance shows the impact of the LNA and the oscillator on the overall system.