Antenna tuning for WCDMA RF front end Reema Sidhwani School of Electrical Engineering Thesis submitted for examination for the degree of Master of Science in Technology. Espoo 20.11.2012 Thesis supervisor: Prof. Olav Tirkkonen Thesis instructor: MSc. Janne Peltonen Aalto University School of Electrical A’’ Engineering aalto university abstract of the school of electrical engineering master's thesis Author: Reema Sidhwani Title: Antenna tuning for WCDMA RF front end Date: 20.11.2012 Language: English Number of pages:6+64 Department of Radio Communications Professorship: Communication Theory Code: S-72 Supervisor: Prof. Olav Tirkkonen Instructor: MSc. Janne Peltonen Modern mobile handsets or so called Smart-phones are not just capable of commu- nicating over a wide range of radio frequencies and of supporting various wireless technologies. They also include a range of peripheral devices like camera, key- board, larger display, flashlight etc. The provision to support such a large feature set in a limited size, constraints the designers of RF front ends to make compro- mises in the design and placement of the antenna which deteriorates its perfor- mance. The surroundings of the antenna especially when it comes in contact with human body, adds to the degradation in its performance. The main reason for the degraded performance is the mismatch of impedance between the antenna and the radio transceiver which causes part of the transmitted power to be reflected back. The loss of power reduces the power amplifier efficiency and leads to shorter battery life. Moreover the reflected power increases the noise floor of the receiver and reduces its sensitivity. Hence the over performance of the radio module in terms of Total Radiated Power and Total Isotropic Sensitivity, gets substantially degraded in the face of these losses. This thesis attempts to solve the issue of impedance mismatch in RF front-ends by introducing an adaptive antenna tuning system between the radio module and the antenna. Using tunable reactive components and by intelligently controlling them through a tuning algorithm, this system is able to compensate the impedance mis- match to a large extent. The improvement in the output power and the reduction in the Return Loss observed in the measurements carried out for WCDMA, as part of this thesis work, confirm this. However, the antenna tuner introduces an insertion loss and hence degrades the performance in perfect match conditions. The overall conclusion is that the adaptive antenna tuner system improves the performance much more than it degrades it. Hence it is an attractive solution to be included in mobile terminals on a commercial scale. Keywords: front end, impedance mismatch, antenna tuner, measurement re- ceiver, adaptive tuning, reflection coefficient iii Preface Now that the daunting task of developing an antenna tuner system in ST-Ericsson has come to a conclusive point, I can't help but wonder how I would have managed to come this far without the help, encouragement and guidance of my colleagues in Turku, Lund and Nuremberg offices. Most of all I would like to thank my instruc- tor Janne Peltonen for his useful insights and for sharing his knowledge with me. Also, my sincere thanks to Jean-Louis Mendes, Michael Hirschmann, Joerg Meiss- ner, Christina Grapsa, Bjorn Gustavsson and Jari Horkko. Next, I would like to thank my supervisor Prof. Olav Tirkkonen. His suggestions and corrections made a tremendous difference to the shape this thesis has taken. I would like to express my heart felt gratitude to my friends in Finland, not just for their friendship but also for encouraging me to explore the unknown. Without you I would not have made it. Thanks for making my life here filled with fun and happiness. Last but not the least, I want to thank my family for their love and trust and for constantly supporting me in all my decisions. Otaniemi, 20.11.2012 Reema Sidhwani iv Contents Abstract ii Preface iii Contents iv Abbreviations vi 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Motivation for the research . .1 1.1.1 Impedance mismatch . .1 1.1.2 Antenna tuning . .3 1.1.3 Impedance Tuner . .5 1.2 Objective and goals . .5 1.3 Outline . .6 2 Background 8 2.1 Theory . .8 2.1.1 Impedance matching . .8 2.1.2 LC Impedance Matching Networks . .9 2.1.3 Binary capacitance array . 12 2.1.4 Measuring parameters . 13 2.2 Antenna Fundamentals . 15 2.2.1 Antenna Characteristics . 16 2.2.2 Antenna types . 17 2.2.3 Design issues . 18 2.3 Building Blocks . 18 2.3.1 Adaptive Antenna Tuner . 19 2.3.2 Bidirectional Coupler . 19 2.3.3 Measurement Receiver . 21 2.3.4 MIPI RFFE interface . 21 2.3.5 Processors . 22 2.3.6 Software . 22 3 Design and implementation concept 24 3.1 Reflection coefficient tracking . 24 3.1.1 Coexistence with other control algorithms . 26 3.2 Impedance calculation . 28 3.2.1 Equation based algorithm . 28 3.2.2 Gradient Search algorithm . 31 3.2.3 Hill Climbing algorithm . 33 3.3 Common algorithm control . 35 3.3.1 Operating modes . 35 3.3.2 Antenna tuner state machine . 36 v 3.4 Timing considerations . 41 3.4.1 RAT specific timings . 42 3.4.2 MIPI RFFE timings . 44 3.5 Performance degradation considerations . 45 3.5.1 Error Vector Magnitude . 45 3.5.2 Linearity . 45 3.5.3 Insertion loss . 46 3.5.4 Reflection coefficient accuracy . 46 4 Performance and measurements 48 4.1 Implementation and measurement set-up . 48 4.1.1 Chosen control algorithm . 48 4.1.2 Chosen antenna parameters . 49 4.1.3 Chosen frequencies . 49 4.2 Lab set-up . 50 4.2.1 Radio module and antenna tuner . 50 4.2.2 Load-pull tuner . 50 4.2.3 Network Analyzer . 51 4.2.4 Radio Tester . 51 4.3 Measurement results . 51 4.3.1 VSWR and S11 . 51 4.3.2 Output power . 52 4.3.3 EVM and ACLR . 52 4.4 Analysis . 53 5 Conclusion 57 5.1 Summary . 57 5.2 Discussion . 60 5.3 Future Work . 60 References 62 vi Abbreviations RF Radio Frequency RAT Radio Access Technology MIPI Mobile Industry Processor Interface GSM Global System for Mobile Communications WCDMA Wideband Code Division Multiple Access LTE Long Term Evolution FDD Frequency Division Duplexing TDD Time Division Duplexing SMA SubMiniature version A LO Local Oscillator PA Power Amplifier LB Low Band HB High Band BB Baseband ADC Analog to Digital Converter 3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project 1 Introduction The fastest growing segment in consumer electronics is that of Smart-phones and Tablet PCs. Key features of these devices are ubiquitous communication, contin- uous access and small size without compromising on the battery life. Consumers demand faster and uninterrupted internet connection as the need to be connected anytime and anywhere continues unabated. While the thirst of higher transmission rates driven by the high resolution images, videos and sound data remains unquench- able, another trend that has been growing at equal pace in the telecom industry is to include more and more functionality in the mobile handsets. Today's wireless handsets are not just expected to communicate over a wide range of frequencies and modulation schemes with high data rates but also support non-cellular services such as mobile television, Bluetooth, wireless-local-area-network (WLAN), and Global Positioning System (GPS). Though these applications need peripheral devices like a camera, a keyboard and a large display to be incorporated in the handset design, the size and power consumption is required to remain optimal. This leaves little space for RF front end components [1], especially the antenna, which is often wrapped and re-routed around the peripheral functions. Thinner form-factors and shrinking foot-prints are forcing designers to constrain antenna design to a historically small area. These constraints, along with the susceptibility to detuning environmental effects, cause a rapid variation in the input impedance of the antenna. When the input impedance changes, a mismatch occurs between the radio module and the antenna. The primary effect of such an impedance mismatch is on the efficiency of the power module since optimal energy transfer is jeopardized but there is also an impact on the modulation quality of the transmission and on the receiver sensitivity. These losses can dramatically deteriorate the performance of an otherwise well de- signed radio module. This thesis work addresses the problem of antenna impedance mismatch and presents a solution in the form of an adaptive impedance matching system. 1.1 Motivation for the research 1.1.1 Impedance mismatch A radio front end consists of an antenna and components like power amplifiers, switches, filters etc. In addition, the connecting tracks between these components and the RF processing chain of the radio, are also included in the front end. When tested in isolation or in simulations, these components show accurate results in compliance with their datasheets. On the other hand, when testing is done in real life situations where the front end modules are tightly integrated with the device and the environmental effects are constantly changing, the specifications of these components can turn out to be grossly inaccurate. Impedance mismatch between the components, improper termination and losses in the cables and interconnects, are some of the reasons behind this inconsistent behavior of the front end modules. One of the key radio performance indicators for mobile phone devices is Over The Air (OTA) performance. OTA is quantified in terms of Total Radiated Power (TRP) 2 and Total Isotropic Sensitivity (TIS). Both parameters are mainly determined by the performance of the antennas. Hence antennas are one of the key components of the front end and even the whole radio system and its design and characterization is crucial for the performance of the entire device.