RF/mm-wave peak detector with high-dynamic range calibration
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorsVito Giannini, Brian Paul Ginsburg
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An integrated circuit (IC) is provided with a plurality of diode based mm-wave peak voltage detectors (PVD)s. During a testing phase, a multi-point low frequency calibration test is performed on one or more of the PVDs to determine and store a set of alternating current (AC) coefficients. During operation of the IC, a current-voltage sweep is performed on a selected one of the PVDs to determine a process and temperature direct current (DC) coefficient. A peak voltage produced by the PVD in response to a high frequency radio frequency (RF) signal is measured to produce a first measured voltage. An approximate power of the RF signal is calculated by adjusting the first measured voltage using the DC coefficient and the AC coefficient.
Claims19
A method comprising:
- determining a first coefficient for a peak voltage detector by applying a plurality of direct current (DC) levels to the peak voltage detector and measuring an output voltage of the peak voltage detector for each DC level;
- determining a second coefficient for the peak voltage detector by applying an alternating current (AC) test signal at one or more calibrated power levels to the peak voltage detector and measuring a first peak voltage of the peak voltage detector for each calibrated power level;
- and
- calculating an approximate power of an input radio frequency (RF) signal received at the peak voltage detector using the first and second coefficients.
A system comprising:
- a mm-wave peak voltage detector having an input coupled to receive a mm-wave radio frequency (RF) signal, and an output for outputting a first peak voltage that is measured to provide a first measured voltage corresponding to a power level of the RF signal received at the input;
- a built in self test (BIST) network coupled to receive the peak voltage signal from the peak voltage detector, in which the BIST includes a processor and a memory having a non-volatile memory portion, in which the processor is operable to:
- determine a first coefficient for the mm-wave peak voltage detector by applying a plurality of direct current (DC) levels to the mm-wave peak voltage detector and measuring an output voltage for each DC level;
- determine a second coefficient for the mm-wave peak voltage detector by applying an alternating current (AC) test signal at one or more calibrated power levels to the mm-wave peak voltage detector and measuring a peak voltage for each calibrated power level;
- and
- calculate an approximate power of the mm-wave RF signal received at the input of the mm-wave peak voltage detector using the first and second coefficients.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.