Multi-Gigabaud Solutions for Millimeter-wave Communication
Licentiate thesis, 2018

With the growing number of mobile network and internet services subscriptions, faster communication will provide a better experience for users. In the next generation mobile network, the fifth generation (5G), communication data rate will achieve several Gigabits per second with ultra-low latency. The capacity enhancement of the mobile backhaul and fronthaul is a challenge. The transmission capacity can be enhanced by increasing the bandwidth, increasing the spectrum efficiency and increasing both the bandwidth and the spectrum efficiency at the same time.  

Millimeter-wave frequency bands have the bandwidth in the order of GHz which provide great opportunities to realize high data rate communications. In this case, millimeter-wave frontend modules and wideband modems are needed in communication systems. In this thesis, a 40 Gbps real-time differential quadrature phase shift keying (DQPSK) modem has been presented to support high-speed communications [A]. As a complete system, it aims to work together with the D-band frontend module published in [1] providing more than 40 GHz bandwidth. In this modem, the modulator is realized in a single field programmable gate array (FPGA) and the demodulator is based on analog components.

Although millimeter-wave frequency bands could provide wide available bandwidth, it is challenging to generate high output power of the carrier signal. In addition, the transmitter needs to back off several dB in output power in order to avoid the non-linear distortion caused by power amplifiers. In this thesis, an outphasing power combining transmitter is proposed [B] to use the maximum output power of power amplifiers while maintaining the signal quality at the same time. This transmitter is demonstrated at E-band with commercially available components.

Increasing the spectrum efficiency is an additional method to enhance the transmission capacity. High order modulation signals such as quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signals are commonly used for this purpose.  In this case, receivers usually require coherent detection in order to demodulate the signals. Limited by the sampling rate of the analog to digital converters (ADCs), the traditional digital carrier recovery methods can be only applied to a symbol rate lower than the sampling rate. A synchronous baseband receiver is proposed [C] with a carrier recovery subsystem which only requires a low-speed ADC with a sampling rate of 100 MSps.

Millimeter-wave communication

power amplifier

mobile network

power combining

outphasing

high order modulation

DQPSK

modem

pilot

16-QAM

non-linear distortion

E-band

high data rate

carrier recovery

Luftbryggan, Kemivägen 9, Chalmers
Opponent: Dr. Lars Aspemyr, the R & D Microwave Engineer at SiversIMA AB, Sweden

Author

Sining An

Chalmers, Microtechnology and Nanoscience (MC2), Microwave Electronics

A 40 Gbps DQPSK Modem for Millimeter-wave Communications

Asia-Pacific Microwave Conference Proceedings APMC 2015,; Vol. 1(2016)

Paper in proceeding

An 8 Gbps E-band QAM Transmitter Using Symbol-based Outphasing Power Combining Technique

Radio-Frequency Integration Technology (RFIT2017),; (2017)p. 150-152

Paper in proceeding

S. An, Z. He, J. Chen, H. Han, H. Zirath, A synchronous baseband receiver for high data rate millimeter-wave communication systems

Areas of Advance

Information and Communication Technology

Infrastructure

Kollberg Laboratory

Driving Forces

Sustainable development

Innovation and entrepreneurship

Subject Categories

Telecommunications

Communication Systems

Other Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering

Technical report MC2 - Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience, Chalmers University of Technology: 406

Publisher

Chalmers

Luftbryggan, Kemivägen 9, Chalmers

Opponent: Dr. Lars Aspemyr, the R & D Microwave Engineer at SiversIMA AB, Sweden

More information

Latest update

11/29/2021