Low-power RF-ICs in wireless transceivers

This paper presents a brief survey of the highlights in the application of IC technology to radios since the 1970s, and follows this with trends of what the author considers is the shape of things to come in wireless transceivers over the next few years. RF-ICs are roughly defined as integrated circuits operating in the band of frequencies from 100 MHz to 2000 MHz which covers most consumer wireless devices. MMICs, by contrast, are small-scale ICs operating at tens of GHz which are almost exclusively fabricated on III-V compound semiconductor substrates. Driven by defence applications over the past decade, they have become an established discipline. RF-ICs are principally driven by consumer needs. They are, and will continue to be, fabricated mostly in mature silicon technologies, combining analog and digital functions at relatively large levels of integration. It is the authors belief that in response to pressing demands for ubiquitous wireless access, the day of the "VLSI radio" is not that far off.