A 285–310 GHz four-channel transceiver with 22.6 dBm EIRP supporting 64QAM modulation in 130-nm SiGe process
摘要
A 300-GHz four-channel transmitter and receiver integrated with on-chip antennas in a 130-nm SiGe process are proposed for next-generation wireless communication. The fundamental-mixer-last architecture is utilized for high-order modulation, and the four-channel topology is introduced to achieve a high equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP). The scalable, highly-integrated transceiver contains high-gain lens-loaded on-chip antennas, fundamental up- and down-mixers, high-power local oscillator (LO) chains, and miniaturized power distribution networks, which are jointly considered for achieving attractive performance. For the on-chip antenna, an additional slab is introduced between the chip and the silicon lens to significantly improve the gain. Thereafter, the interference of the RF balun of the mixers is switched to achieve 0°/180° phase for the on-chip antenna element. To support a high output power of the up-mixer, a high-power LO chain is realized by using a two-way power-combining topology. Furthermore, the intermediate frequency (IF) power distribution network is embedded into the antenna array, and the LO 1-to-4 power divider is miniaturized for achieving a compact layout. Finally, the proposed transmitter and receiver are fabricated and measured, achieving a record EIRP of 22.6 dBm at 302 GHz compared to previously reported silicon-based transmitters with fundamental-mixing topology around 300 GHz. Moreover, 16/64QAM modulation wireless communication is realized at a 20 cm distance, making the transceiver suitable for next-generation communication.