Energy efficient, reconfigurable, distributed pulse generation and detection in UWB impulse radios

Ultrafast pulse generation and detection are pivotal functions in ultra-wideband (UWB) impulse radios. This paper shows that digitally-assisted distributed circuit techniques provide an energy-efficient, reconfigurable solution for both functions, as demonstrated in two new circuits: a pulse generator that can generate reconfigurable pulse waveforms with sub-nanosecond time resolution, and a multi-GHz analog correlator that incorporates reconfigurable local template pulse generation. A UWB impulse radio was developed based on these new circuits with chip prototypes implemented in 0.18-mum standard digital CMOS. It was characterized using UWB antennas, and achieved an energy efficiency of 25-pJ/pulse for the transmitter and 190-pJ/pulse for the receiver at 250 MHz pulse rate in the measurement.