Component · Analog, RF & Mixed-Signal
Transceiver
An integrated device combining the transmit and receive signal chains for a communication link, typically including LNA, mixers, filters, VGAs, synthesiser and data converters.
In wireless it sits between the RF front end and the baseband processor.
- Also known as
- TRX, XCVR
- Type
- Component
- Domain
- Analog, RF & Mixed-Signal, RF front end
Notes
Highly integrated CMOS transceivers replaced discrete radio boards from the mid 2000s and enabled software-defined radio products.
Overview
A transceiver is a device that combines a transmitter and a receiver for a communication link in one package or on one chip. In radio, the word usually means the integrated circuit between the RF front end and the digital baseband processor, containing mixers, filters, amplifiers, a frequency synthesiser and data converters. The same word is used for wired links, such as Ethernet devices, optical modules and the multi-gigabit serial lanes in FPGAs and processors.
How it works
On the receive side, a weak signal from the antenna is amplified, mixed down using a local oscillator and filtered to select the wanted channel, then digitised by ADCs for the baseband processor. The transmit side runs the other way: DACs produce the baseband signal, which is mixed up to the carrier frequency, filtered and passed to the power amplifier. A frequency synthesiser, usually a PLL with a voltage-controlled oscillator, sets the local oscillator frequency, and its phase noise limits how clean both paths can be.
Three architectures dominate. Superheterodyne designs first convert to an intermediate frequency, giving high selectivity and dynamic range at the cost of more filters, size and power. Zero-IF (direct conversion) designs mix straight to baseband, which lets the low-noise amplifier, oscillator and baseband filters be integrated on one die; their weaknesses are DC offsets from local oscillator leakage, I/Q imbalance and low-frequency noise. Direct RF sampling digitises the radio signal with very fast converters and does the frequency conversion digitally, trading some dynamic range and power for wideband flexibility.
Current parts integrate several transmit and receive channels on one chip and connect to an FPGA or processor over high-speed serial interfaces such as JESD204.
Examples
- TI's AFE7950, an RF sampling transceiver with four transmit and four receive chains covering 600 MHz to 12 GHz, with an on-chip PLL and a JESD204B/C interface.
- A zero-IF wireless LAN radio that integrates the low-noise amplifier, oscillator and baseband filters on one CMOS die.
- A superheterodyne receiver in a software-defined radio for crowded or contested bands, chosen for its selectivity and dynamic range.
- An Ethernet transceiver or SFP optical module, where the word means the device that sends and receives on the cable or fibre.
Why it matters
The transceiver largely decides a radio's sensitivity, spectral purity, supported bands and power consumption, making it a key chip in phones, base stations, radar and satellite equipment. RF transceiver designers, RF systems architects and front-end designers build it, and wireless field application engineers help customers fit it to antennas, filters and baseband processors.
Related terms
Part of the Analog, RF & Mixed-Signal glossary, with every term in the topic and the lifecycles, tools and standards that use them.
Where it appears on the Hub
Used on 28 pages of the Hub. In each group, the pages that mention it most come first.
Lifecycle stages and gates
Roles
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Last reviewed . Written by The Semiconductor Hub editorial team. The full glossary