High Efficiency mm-Wave Transmitter Array
Abstract
High efficiency, high power transmitters integrated in silicon at 45, 94 and 138 GHz were developed. Our approach employs CMOS-SOI and SiGe HBT unit amplifiers, power-combined in free-space using antenna arrays to attain high power levels. In the baseline approach, the signals are generated in separate modulator circuits, with external digital predistortion. In a companion approach, full signals are generated in free space, combining I and Q signals in the far field. In CMOS, stacked FET amplifiers have been used, and significant advances in the state-of-the-art were made. At 45GHz, a single CMOS chip produced an RF power of 630mW, which yielded an EIRP of 40 dBm using a contiguous 2x2 antenna array. At 94 GHz, a CMOS chip produced 250mW of RF power, yielding an EIRP of 33 dBm using a 2x4 antenna array on top of the Si IC. Output modulation was demonstrated up to 3 Gb/s (256QAM with 375MHz bandwidth, testbed limited).Combination of I and Q signals in the far field was demonstrated at 100GHz and 138GHz. RF output powers up to 13 dBm at 138GHz were measured with the corresponding I and Q channels. A separate on-chip power combined 125GHz amplifier demonstrated 22dBm output power.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2016
- Accession Number
- AD1032457
Entities
People
- Gabriel Rebeiz
- James F. Buckwalter
- Lawrence Larson
- P.M. Asbeck
- Sorin P. Voinigescu
Organizations
- University of California, San Diego