System-level modelling/analysis and LNA design in low-cost automotive technology of a V2X wireless transceiver

The paper presents the transistor-level design, using Keysight ADS environment, of a Low Noise Amplifier (LNA), the key block of wireless transceivers in automotive V2X (vehicle to everything) applications. A system-level exploration of the transceiver, using an end-to-end Simulink model annotated bottom up with transistor-level circuit performance, is also presented. The system model allows analyzing the impact of LNA noise figure, gain and non-linearity on the error vector magnitude of the modem constellation. To this aim, a multi-carrier modulation scheme with QPSK bit-loading is used. To meet the stringent cost requirements of the large volume automotive market, a low-cost 0.35 µm CMOS technology is used. The technology is compliant with an automotive qualified flow and allows for the system-on-chip design of V2X transceivers. The achieved performance, although limited by the low Q value (<10) of the inductors available in the technology library, still ensure that the LNA is compliant with the physical layer, around 5.8 – 5.9 GHz, of IEEE 802.11p, CEN DRSC and ETSI ITS-G5 standards