A SiGe Highly Integrated FMCW Transmitter Module With a 59.5–70.5-GHz Single Sweep Cover

A fully integrated wide-bandwidth transmitter (TX) module intended for use in short-range frequency-modulated continuous-wave radar applications is proposed. By incorporating an on-chip fractional-Nphase-locked loop based on the fundamental voltage-controlled oscillator, the TX is able to synthesize highly programmable 11-GHz linear chirps around the 65-GHz central frequency, hence theoretically enabling sub-1.5-cm spatial resolutions. Implemented in a 0.13-μ mBiCMOS process, the test-chip delivers more than +5 dBm of output power and achieves the measured root-mean-square ramp error (nonlinearity) of 340 kHz for a 60-GHz/ms modulation rate signal over the complete range of interest. The presented TX module dissipates 550mW and also includes an adequate on-board directional4×4antenna array.