A 13.56-mbps pulse delay modulation based transceiver for simultaneous near-field data and power transmission

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Wireless Communication

Background:

• Implantable medical devices require efficient wireless communication for data and power.
• Existing systems face challenges with interference and power efficiency.
• Near-field inductive links are suitable for short-range communication in implants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a fully-integrated near-field wireless transceiver for simultaneous data and power transmission.
• To demonstrate the effectiveness of the pulse delay modulation (PDM) technique for implantable applications.
• To achieve high data rates and power efficiency in a compact form factor.

Main Methods:

• Utilized pulse delay modulation (PDM), a low-power, carrier-less modulation scheme.
• Designed and fabricated a transceiver prototype in a 0.35-μm CMOS process.
• Employed figure-8 data coils and separate high-Q power coils for inductive links.

Main Results:

• Achieved a 13.56 Mbps data rate with a raw bit error rate (BER) of 4.3×10⁻⁷ at 10 mm.
• Delivered 42 mW of regulated power wirelessly.
• Demonstrated robustness against a signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) of -18.5 dB.

Conclusions:

• The developed PDM transceiver is a viable solution for simultaneous wireless data and power transmission in implantable devices.
• The PDM technique offers a robust and efficient modulation scheme for neuroprosthetic applications.
• The compact, integrated design paves the way for next-generation implantable systems like retinal implants.