Digital communication systems: the problem of analog interface circuits

Due to the use of deep sub-micron and nano technologies, the signal processing in the digital area becomes so powerful that the limitations are again situated in the analog front-end circuits. This becomes a huge problem in signal output drivers. The development of xDSL and RF systems all lack efficient power amplifiers, especially if they have to be realized in standard CMOS technologies. Another challenge is the design of wide-band receiver front-ends including low-noise input-matched CMOS amplifiers. An overview of the limitations, trends and some recent achievements from the open literature were analyzed and discussed.