SPRACF4C June 2018 – January 2023 AWR1243 , AWR1443 , AWR1642 , AWR1843 , AWR1843AOP , AWR2243 , AWR2944 , AWR6843 , AWR6843AOP , IWR1843 , IWR6443 , IWR6843 , IWR6843AOP
The calibration and monitoring mechanisms in TI’s mmWave devices are implemented using a combination of hardware and firmware. Some of the hardware infrastructure blocks enabling these are illustrated here.
Several TX, RX RF and IFA parameter measurements are enabled by the mmWave power detectors coupled to the TX PA outputs and RX LNA inputs, and the TX-RX RF and RX IF loopback structures in the device, illustrated in Figure 2-1.
For example, the Tx output power calibration is enabled by measuring the internal Tx power using the power detector at the Tx power amplifier output port. The voltage level of the power detector is read using internal general purpose ADCs. These ADCs are also used for measuring other internal voltage levels, such as PLL control voltages, during VCO and APLL calibrations.
Some calibrations, such as RX IF filter calibrations, use the internal IF loopback structure. The loopback signal at different IF frequencies is fed, the IF frequency response analyzed, and appropriate resistor and capacitor bank adjustments are made to realize desired cutoff frequencies. Other calibrations, such as Rx gain calibration, use internal RF loop structures to feed a known amplitude of signal level from the TX chain to the Rx chain. The Rx gain is analyzed by processing the ADC data amplitude and accordingly the Rx chain biases are set to calibrate the gain.
In some other calibrations, fixed look up tables (LUTs, derived from nominal design simulations) are evaluated in the firmware based on measured temperature and analog bias settings adjusted.
In AWR294x, RX Gain Calibrations use the RF Loopback structure to feed known amplitude of signal level from synthesizer to the Rx chain. There is no phase shifter loopback available. The loopback structures in AWR294x are shown inFigure 2-2.