5.2 GHz self-powered lock and roll radio using VCO injection-locking and on-chip antennas

A novel integrated transceiver suitable for short range wireless applications such as RFID tagging or the transmission of data from medical sensors is presented. The circuit is unique in that it is virtually completely integrated, making use of on-chip antennas, and self-powered by a thin film ultracapacitor and solar cell stacked on top of the chip. Both the transmitter and receiver consist of PLLs which initially lock VCOs, and then allow them to "roll" in order to transmit and receive the signal. The VCO in the receiver is injection-locked by the incoming signal. The current design has a communication range of 4.5 cm which can be increased at the expense of the bit rate or increased power consumption in the receiver