Variation-based design of an AM demodulator in a printed complementary organic technology

In this work, the design of a high-frequency AM demodulator in a printed complementary organic technology is presented. The behaviour and the variability of printed circuits are predicted by means of accurate transistor modelling, statistical characterization, and Monte Carlo simulations. The effectiveness of the design approach is readily verified by comparing measurements and simulations of simple digital blocks as well as two differential amplifiers. These amplifiers can be used as continuous-time comparators in the demodulator. In addition, the possibility of high-frequency rectification using the printed organic TFTs is shown by providing the experimental results of an envelope detector measured under different load and input conditions. All the measurements are performed in air. Finally, the simulation of a complete AM demodulator system including the measured blocks is demonstrated. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.