Low power 2.4 GHz RF transmitter for satellite subsystem using CORDIC based frequency translator

This paper presents a CORDIC based frequency translator for low power radio frequency transmitter to be used in intra-satellite communication. As against the conventional method of using analog up-conversion mixers for frequency translation, an idea has been proposed to use CORDIC for translation. As CORDIC replaces mixer, digital-to-analog converter and low pass filter, overall hardware decreases and the power consumed also goes down to 2mW. Thus there is a 45% power saving compared to conventional architectures. An envelope tracking power amplifier is implemented that delivers a linear output of 223dBm. Entire design is simulated and verified using Cadence^® and Synopsys^® in 180nm technology and consumes a total power of 12mW.