Analysis of Noncoherent ASK Modulation-Based RF-Interconnect for Memory Interface

A noncoherent amplitude shift keying (ASK)-based RF-interconnect (RF-I) system design for off-chip communication is analyzed. The proposed RF-I system exploits the simple architecture and characteristics of noncoherent ASK modulation. This provides an efficient way of increasing interconnect bandwidth by transmitting an RF-modulated data stream simultaneously with a conventional baseband counterpart over a shared off-chip transmission line. Both analysis and tested results prove that the performance of the proposed dual-band (RF+baseband) interconnect system is not limited by thermal noise interference. Therefore, a more sophisticated modulation scheme and/or coherent receiving scheme becomes unnecessary within the scope of system requirements. In addition, it confirms that the proposed inductive coupling network is able to support simultaneous bidirectional communications without using complicated replica circuits or additional filters to isolate simultaneous baseband and RF-band data streams.