A 3-10 GHz IR-UWB CMOS Pulse Generator With 6-mW Peak Power Dissipation Using A Slow-Charge Fast-Discharge Technique

This letter proposes a UWB pulse generator topology featuring low peak power dissipation for applications with stringent instantaneous power requirements. This is accomplished by employing a new slow-charge fast-discharge approach to extend the time duration of the generator's peak current so that the peak value of the current is significantly reduced, while maintaining the waveform of the generated UWB pulse signal. A prototype pulse generator has been implemented using the UMC 0.18 μm CMOS process for validation. The pulse generator offers a 3-10 GHz bandwidth, a maximum pulse repetitive rate of 1 Gpps, a minimum peak power consumption of 6 mW, and a low energy consumption of 5 pJ/pulse. The fabricated pulse generator measures 0.16 mm2.