Texas Insturments' AFE7799 is a high-performance, multi-channel transceiver that integrates four direct up-conversion transmitter chains, four direct down-conversion receiver chains, and two wideband RF sampling digitizing auxiliary chains (feedback paths). The high dynamic range of the transmitter and receiver chains allows generating and receiving 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G signals for wireless base-stations. The low power dissipation and integration of large channels make the AFE7799 suitable to address the power and size-constrained 4G and 5G massive MIMO base stations. The wideband and high dynamic range feedback path can assist the digital pre-distortion (DPD) of the power amps in the transmitter chain. The fast SerDes speed can help reduce the number of lanes required to transfer the data in and out.

Each receiver chain of the AFE7799 transceiver includes a 28 dB range digital step attenuator (DSA), followed by a wideband passive IQ demodulator, and a baseband amp with integrated programmable anti-aliasing low-pass filters, driving a continuous-time sigma-delta ADC. The RX chain can receive an instantaneous bandwidth (IBW) up to 200 MHz. Each receiver channel has two analog peak-power detectors and various digital power detectors to assist an external or internal autonomous AGC control for receiver channels, and an RF overload detector for device reliability protection. The integrated quadrature mismatch compensation (QMC) algorithm is capable to continuously monitor and correct for the RX chain I and Q imbalance mismatch without the need to inject any specific signals or perform offline calibration.

Each transmitter chain includes two 14-bit, 3 Gsps IQ DACs, followed by a programmable reconstruction and DAC image rejection filter, and an IQ modulator driving a wideband RF amp with 39 dB range of gain control. The TX chain integrated QMC and LO leakage cancellation algorithms, leveraging the FB path so it can constantly track and correct TX chain IQ mismatch and LO leakage.

The FB path is based on RF sampling architecture and includes an input RF DSA driving a 14-bit, 3 Gsps RF ADC. The direct sampling architecture provides an inherently wideband receiver chain and simplifies the calibration of the TX chains impairments. Each FB path integrates two independent NCOs that allow fast switching between two observed RF input bands.