Sensitivity Using an Uncertain-IF Architecture

A dedicated wake-up receiver may be used in wireless sensor nodes to control duty cycle and reduce network latency. However, its power dissipation must be extremely low to minimize the power consumption of the overall link. This paper describes the design of a 2 GHz receiver using a novel “uncertain-IF” architecture, which combines MEMS-based high-Q filtering and a free-running CMOS ring oscillator as the RF LO. The receiver prototype, implemented in 90 nm CMOS technology, achieves a sensitivity of 72 dBm at 100 kbps ( bit error rate) while consuming just 52 W from the 0.5 V supply.