A Built-in-Test-based Reconfiguration Scheme for Wireless Systems for Increased Quality of Service (QoS)

Current wireless transceiver systems employ power-up self-calibration to enhance quality-of-service (QoS) for end-users. This is mostly performed by firmware (embedded software) within the digital signal processor (DSP) and automatic gain control (AGC) circuits in baseband. This self-calibration step by itself may not be effective to compensate for environmental effects. Moreover, these techniques consume significant battery power, often an undesirable attribute. In addition, aggressive technology scaling to nanometer regimes causes significantly larger process parameter variations compared to present manufacturing techniques. Unless compensated for, these process variations can set die specifications off the limits. In this paper, an online built-in-test (BIT) based compensation scheme has been proposed for RF front-end in wireless transceivers. The proposed approach is simple, involves minimal overhead, and is effective in improving the performance. Results indicate that a significant improvement in performance can be achieved after reconfiguration is performed.