Adaptive Digital Front-End enhanced CMOS-based RF transceivers A brief overview

The idea of a ldquosoftware defined radiordquo (SDR) as proposed J. Mitola was quite a provoking vision beginning of the dasia90s. Even though the ideal SDR architecture mainly remained a subject of academic study so far it anticipated the need for an increased capability to reconfigure the RF-transceiver itself. This article gives a brief overview on the developments of cellular RF-transceivers during the last years in the light of the aforementioned need for reconfigurability. It specifically addresses the architectural changes that were on the one hand necessitated due to upcoming multi-system/multi-mode/multiband requirements and on the other hand favored by the step towards CMOS as mainstream technology even for the analog intensive RF-transceiver.