Reconfigurable Software-Defined Radio —System Analyses, Architecture Designs, and Circuit Implementations

Abstract

Researchers have assessed the uses of Software-defined radio (SDR) for more than thirty years. They have specifically investigated its advantages in ultimate reconfigurability and programmability to support multi-standard, multi-mode, multi-channel and multi-user applications. In recent decades, there has been renewed interest in SDR, with many new developments and breakthroughs on key enabling technologies used with SDR. Moreover, the demand for a practical SDR implementation has increased greatly due to heightened demand for multi-standard, multi-mode, multi-channel and multi-user applications. We are now witnessing a revolution in the transformation from traditional radio architecture to SDR-based radio designs.

This dissertation investigates the systematic challenges and overall development of the enabling technologies for SDR. First, a practical SDR architecture is derived from the classic SDR architecture. Then, the research focuses on important aspects of SDR systems, including (i) system level performance analyses on the impact of local oscillator (LO) imperfections; (ii) data converter designs and challenges for SDR with an exemplary DAC design; (iii) a novel SDR reconfigurable analog filter design; and (iv) a complete SDR digital front-end design with few key building block designs. This dissertation ultimately seeks to develop detailed theoretical analyses as well as practical circuit designs. Simulation results and test results are presented and discussed with detail.