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A 160-GHz system in package for short-range mm-wave applications

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2014

Abouzar Hamidipour ,
Reinhard Feger ,
Sebastian Poltschak  and
Andreas Stelzer
Abouzar Hamidipour*
Affiliation:
Institute for Communications Engineering and RF-Systems, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Linz, Austria. Phone: +43 732 2468 6388
Reinhard Feger
Affiliation:
Institute for Communications Engineering and RF-Systems, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Linz, Austria. Phone: +43 732 2468 6388 Christian Doppler Laboratory for Integrated Radar Sensors, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Linz, Austria
Sebastian Poltschak
Affiliation:
Institute for Communications Engineering and RF-Systems, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Linz, Austria. Phone: +43 732 2468 6388
Andreas Stelzer
Affiliation:
Institute for Communications Engineering and RF-Systems, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Linz, Austria. Phone: +43 732 2468 6388 Christian Doppler Laboratory for Integrated Radar Sensors, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Linz, Austria
*
Corresponding author: A. Hamidipour Email: a.hamidipour@nthfs.jku.at
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Abstract

This paper proposes a fully integrated 160-GHz transmitter and receiver in package for millimeter-wave applications. The monolithic integrated circuits were designed with a harmonic approach and were fabricated using a SiGe:C HBT production technology with an fT and fmax of 170 and 250 GHz, respectively. The manufactured 2006 × 1865 µm2 bare dies were integrated in 6 × 6 mm2 embedded wafer level ball grid array packages, where they were interconnected with highly directional antennas built on the redistribution layer of the packages. With a total frequency multiplication factor of 36 and an active balun at the first stage, the transmitter allows the use of a 4.5-GHz input signal driven from a single-ended signal source [1] and distributed on a standard low-cost printed circuit board. The receiver comprises a Gilbert-cell-based subharmonic mixer with a simulated 1-dB input compression point of −4 dBm, and a minimum double-sideband noise figure of 16.5 dB. The functionality of the proposed system was successfully demonstrated in a quasi-monostatic FMCW radar measurement with a 1-ms up-chirp frequency sweep from 157 to 160 GHz and in a forward-scatter imaging experiment with an 8-GHz frequency ramp from 157 to 165 GHz.

Keywords

Antennas and propagation for wireless systemsCircuit design and applications
Type
Research Paper
Information
International Journal of Microwave and Wireless Technologies , Volume 6 , Issue 3-4: European Microwave Week 2013 , June 2014 , pp. 361 - 369
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and the European Microwave Association 2014 

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