A Fully Integrated Modular 2×4 220–260 GHz Beam-Forming Transmitter and Receiver With 50 Gbps Wireless Transmission in SiGe:C BiCMOS

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

This article presents a 220-260 GHz fully integrated phased-array wireless system featuring direct conversion RF beam-forming. The system is constructed using fully integrated transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) chips with on-chip antenna array. A 4-channel Tx and Rx are designed and fabricated in a 130 nm SiGe BiCMOS process withfT/fₘₐₓ= 300 / 500 GHz. A modular design approach enables the chips as building units for 2×N phased arrays and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems. A comprehensive design approach for the Tx and Rx chips focusing on key design decisions is presented in this work. The transmitter is equipped with a local oscillator (LO) multiplication chain, IQ up$-$conversion mixer, active RF splitting network, vector modulator phase shifter (VMPS), temperature sensors, and high output power amplifiers (PA). The PA with power$-$combining boost the effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) and reduces the need for external lenses. The receiver is equipped with an LO chain, IQ down$-$conversion mixer, active RF combining network, VMPS, and low noise amplifiers (LNA). In both Tx and Rx the antenna array is composed of four differential double-folded dipole antennas with local backside etching (LBE). The Tx and Rx chips consume 4.4 W and 1.84 W of power respectively from a 3.5 V supply while each occupying 25 mm²of silicon area. With a measured Tx array effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) of 24 dBm, a beamforming wireless link is demonstrated supporting up to 50 Gbps of data rates across 85 cm of link distance with no need for focusing lenses and± 30^∘of scanning capability. With these capabilities, the presented modular chips enable future scaling for 2× N antenna arrays for sensing and communication applications.