Analysis and Compensation of Nonidealities in Frequency Multiplier-Based High-Frequency Vector Signal Generators

This paper expounds on the application of frequency multipliers for the frequency upconversion of amplitude- and vector-modulated signals to high frequencies. First, a complex baseband equivalent Volterra series behavioral model is derived for representing the envelope transformation of frequency multipliers. Based on this model, a low-complexity baseband digital predistortion (DPD) scheme is developed to mitigate unwanted distortions exhibited by the frequency multipliers. The proposed DPD scheme consists of three modules: 1) a polynomial predistorter (PD) is first employed to mitigate the memoryless (ML) distortions associated with the frequency conversion; 2) a $D$ th order root module is included to correct for the phase modulation (PM)–PM distortions exhibited by the frequency multiplier with a frequency multiplication factor of $D$ ; and 3) a pruned Volterra-based PD is added to correct for residual distortions attributed to the output stage. As a proof of concept using a low-complexity experimental setup, the proposed DPD scheme is used to linearize several frequency multipliers, namely, a frequency doubler with an output at 12.5 GHz, a frequency quadrupler to produce an output at 25 GHz, and a frequency tripler with an output at 63 GHz. The proposed DPD scheme showed excellent capacity to linearize these frequency multipliers when driven by orthogonal frequency division multiplexing signals with modulation bandwidths up to 400 MHz with less than 56 coefficients.

[1]  C.L. Cuccia,et al.  PSK and QPSK Modulators for Gigabit Data Rates , 1977, 1977 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium Digest.

[2]  R. D. Figueiredo.  The Volterra and Wiener theories of nonlinear systems , 1982 .

[3]  R. de Figueiredo.  The Volterra and Wiener theories of nonlinear systems , 1982, Proceedings of the IEEE.

[4]  Stephen A. Maas,et al.  Nonlinear Microwave and RF Circuits , 2003 .

[5]  Young-Cheol Park,et al.  Adaptive digital predistortion linearization of frequency multipliers , 2003 .

[6]  Jae Hong Choi,et al.  Digital predistortion of frequency multiplier for dual band wireless LAN transmitter , 2005, IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium Digest, 2005..

[7]  J.S. Kenney,et al.  Dual-band transmitters using digitally predistorted frequency multipliers for reconfigurable radios , 2005, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques.

[8]  P. Siegel,et al.  Submillimeter-wave active radar imager , 2007, 2007 Joint 32nd International Conference on Infrared and Millimeter Waves and the 15th International Conference on Terahertz Electronics.

[9]  Sung Min Kang,et al.  Adaptive Linearization of Frequency Doubler Using DGS , 2007, 2007 IEEE/MTT-S International Microwave Symposium.

[10]  Ali M. Niknejad,et al.  mm-Wave Silicon Technology: 60 GHz and Beyond , 2008 .

[11]  Xiaoping Zheng,et al.  Digital predistortion of 75–110GHz W-Band frequency multiplier for fiber wireless short range access systems , 2011, 2011 37th European Conference and Exhibition on Optical Communication.

[12]  Ho-Jin Song,et al.  50-Gb/s Direct Conversion QPSK Modulator and Demodulator MMICs for Terahertz Communications at 300 GHz , 2014, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques.

[13]  John Wood,et al.  Complexity-reduced Volterra series model for power amplifier digital predistortion , 2014 .

[14]  Ali M. Niknejad,et al.  A 240 GHz Fully Integrated Wideband QPSK Transmitter in 65 nm CMOS , 2015, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits.

[15]  Jeong-Geun Kim,et al.  76–81-GHz CMOS Transmitter With a Phase-Locked-Loop-Based Multichirp Modulator for Automotive Radar , 2015, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques.

[16]  Chenglin Cui,et al.  A Low-Phase-Noise 77-GHz FMCW Radar Transmitter With a 12.8-GHz PLL and a $\times$6 Frequency Multiplier , 2016, IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters.

[17]  P. Asbeck,et al.  High-Order Modulation Transmission Through Frequency Quadrupler Using Digital Predistortion , 2016, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques.

[18]  Patrick Mitran,et al.  Digital Predistortion Function Synthesis using Undersampled Feedback Signal , 2016, IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters.

[19]  H. A. Hung,et al.  Efficient linear transmission of complex waveforms at 216 GHz using nonlinear multiplier chains , 2016, 2016 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS).

[20]  N. Sarmah,et al.  A wideband fully integrated SiGe chipset for high data rate communication at 240 GHz , 2016, 2016 11th European Microwave Integrated Circuits Conference (EuMIC).

[21]  H. A. Hung,et al.  Frequency Doubler Based Outphasing System for Millimeter Wave Vector Signal Generation , 2018, 2018 48th European Microwave Conference (EuMC).

[22]  H. A. Hung,et al.  High Frequency and Wideband Modulated Signal Generation Using Frequency Doublers , 2018, 2018 IEEE/MTT-S International Microwave Symposium - IMS.

[23]  Kenichi Okada,et al.  A 120Gb/s 16QAM CMOS millimeter-wave wireless transceiver , 2018, 2018 IEEE International Solid - State Circuits Conference - (ISSCC).

[24]  H. Zirath,et al.  8-PSK Upconverting Transmitter Using $E$ -Band Frequency Sextupler , 2018, IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters.