Belinda Piernas

A broadband and miniaturized V-band PHEMT frequency doubler

We present the design and measured performances of a V-band frequency doubler fabricated using 0.15 μm GaAs pseudomorphic HEMTs and the three-dimensional (3-D) MMIC technology. Thank to the use of an improved 180/spl deg/ rat-race hybrid, the frequency doubler exhibits high spectral purity over a large bandwidth. Isolation better than 30 dB is achieved on a frequency range from 31.736 GHz and fundamental frequency rejection better than 35 dB is achieved between 31.5 GHz and 37.5 GHz. Conversion loss measured at 32.5 GHz is 8.5 dB for an input power of 14 dBm. Both the broadband spectral purity and the small size of 1 mm2 make it suitable for the realization of high-quality and widely tunable V-band frequency sources. For the future developments of millimeter-wave wireless communication systems, it offers good perspectives toward the fabrication of single-chip V-band transceiver including the frequency source.

V-band fully-integrated TX/RX single-chip 3-D MMICs using commercial GaAs pHEMT technology for high-speed wireless applications

This paper demonstrates fully-integrated V-band single-chip transmitter and receiver 3D MMICs for high-speed wireless applications. These 3D MMICs provide full RF functions, including an oscillator, even though they are very compact. The transmitter MMIC realizes more than 10 dBm output power at 57-60 GHz, while the receiver MMIC achieves 33 dB conversion gain and less than 6 dB noise figure at the same frequency range. The chip sizes of the transmitter and the receiver are 2.89 mm/sup 2/ and 5.04 mm/sup 2/, respectively. The V-band fully-integrated MMICs promise much cheaper millimeter-wave RF equipment due to their high-integration level, compactness, and few interconnections for other components.

Compact LNA and VCO 3-D MMICs using commercial GaAs PHEMT technology for V-band single-chip TRX MMIC

This paper presents compact V-band low-noise amplifier (LNA) and Ka-band voltage-control oscillator (VCO) 3-D MMICs for a V-band highly-integrated single-chip transceiver MMIC. 3-D MMICs are fabricated through the cooperation of commercial foundry GaAs pHEMT and 3-D interconnection processes. The LNA (chip size is 0.75 mm/sup 2/) achieves 15 dB gain and better than 3.3 dB noise figure from 50 GHz to 60 GHz. The VCO (chip size of 0.52 mm) achieves 11.5 dBm output power, 3.8 GHz oscillation frequency tuning range, and a phase noise of -102 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset and 28.6 GHz output signal. The cooperation 3-D MMIC technology with a high-performance commercial foundry technology promises low-cost, compact, and high performance millimeter-wave MMICs.

Miniaturized and broadband V-band balanced frequency doubler for highly integrated 3-D MMIC

This paper presents a compact V-band balanced frequency doubler 3-D MMIC with broadband performance. The MMIC was fabricated by combining a commercial 0.15 /spl mu/m GaAs pHEMT technology with the 3-D MMIC technology. A fabricated frequency doubler MMIC, which occupies 0.92 mm/sup 2/, achieves 2.5-dBm output power and more than 15-dB fundamental signal suppression over 50-GHz to 68-GHz (30% bandwidth) for an 8-dBm input signal. A transmit MMIC, intended for 50-GHz application, realizes a 10-dBm output power and 40-dB isolation in an area of 1.48 mm/sup 2/, it is supported by input and output buffer amplifiers. These fabricated MMICs are very effective in realizing compact and highly integrated single-chip transceiver MMICs. Furthermore, they can be re-used for various V-band applications, resulting in significant cost reduction.

Analysis of balanced active doubler for broad-band operation - the frequency-tuning concept

A comprehensive analysis of an active balanced frequency doubler is described and proposed as a new concept: tuning the center frequency at which the doubler exhibits its highest performance to extend the usable bandwidth of the device. The concept is validated using a fabricated V-band pseudomorphic high electron-mobility transistor frequency doubler. For this device, a substantial improvement in the usable bandwidth (more than double) is achieved, demonstrating that the proposed concept is particularly suitable for the realization of high spectral purity and widely tunable V-band frequency sources.

Improved three-dimensional GaAs inductors

This paper clarifies the state-of-the-art GaAs inductors fabricated using three-dimensional (3-D) MMIC technology. A novel 3-D inductor is proposed and evaluated experimentally. Our 4.9 nH inductance achieves a peak Q factor of 35.93 with a resonant frequency of 8.07 GHz. To the knowledge of the authors, this performance is the highest yet reported for GaAs on-chip inductors. A 0.6-4 GHz band LNA is fabricated using 0.15 /spl mu/m GaAs PHEMT devices (f/sub max/=120 GHz) and the 3-D inductors. The fabricated LNA offers 12.3 dB gain and a noise figure under 1.5 dB with a d.c. power consumption of 27.84 mW.

Broadband and compact SiBJT balanced up-converter MMIC using Si 3-D MMIC technology

This paper presents a broadband and compact SiBJT balanced up-converter MMIC using Si 3-D MMIC technology. The balanced up-converter consists of newly designed Marchand-type balun, and two unit mixers that have stacked matching circuits. The fabricated balanced upconverter MMICs occupies just 1 mm/sup 2/ but achieves a conversion gain of 2.5 dB/spl plusmn/2.5 dB and LO signal suppression of more than 30 dB at an RF port from 12 GHz to 27 GHz. The power consumption is 9.8 mW with 1 V supply voltage. The broadband performance factor of the fabricated MMIC is twice those of previously reported balanced up-converter MMICs.

60-GHz Single-chip Receiver 3-D MMIC using Commercial GaAs pHEMT Technology

l. Introduction The strong demand for high-speed wireless applications has stimulated the development of low cost and compact millimeter-wave wireless equipment. V-band wireless systems are very interesting since they offer much higher transmission rates due to their wide bandwidths. MMICs are the key components and are suitable for realizing cost-effective and compact V-band wireless equipment. Reported V-band receivers were constructed from individual MMIC building block components, the so-called multi-chip configurationfl], I2l. In the millimeter-wave range, interactions between individual MMICs are diffrcult to control due to the need to set multiple interconnections by using wire-bonding or flip-chip technology. Therefore, a single-chip configuration that integrates all core elements is athactive for improving the performance and for reducing assembly costs. However, the V-band single-chip receiver MMIC reported by Zelly[3] was quite big (5.8 mm x 2.2 mm) and did not integrate the LO elements, resulting in millimeter-wave interconnections and high cost. Authors have proposed and demonstrated the three-dimensional (3-D) MMIC technology[4], which can greatly reduce circuit area. It offers high-level integration on a single-chip, resulting in compact MMICs and a significant reduction in millimeter-wave packaging cost. This paper presents a newly developed frrlly monolithic 60-GHz single-chip receiver 3-D MMIC. The MMIC was fabricated by combining a commercial 0.15 pm GaAs pHEMT technology with the 3-D MMIC interconnection technology[4]. This fabrication methodology can realize compact, highJevel integration, and high performance V-band MMICs.

Foundry-fabricated hybrid GaAs VCSEL-based smart pixel

In this paper, we propose a foundry fabricated hybrid VCSEL- based GaAs smart pixel devoted to high speed and low cost optical interconnections. The device has an optical gain of 10.4 dB for power consumption less than 1 W. Moreover, the -3 dB bandwidth is suitable for transmission rate up to 6 Gbit/s.

16×16 self-routing cell switch using polarization-controlled vertical cavity surface emitting laser arrays: principles

The principle and design of a self-routing 16316 free-space optically interconnected crossbar cell switch are detailed. Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) and VCSEL-based smart pixel arrays are key devices for this system and enable high density interconnection. Using the optical switching of VCSEL polarization extensively, the cell switch exhibits a potential high bit rate and low reconfiguration time be- tween two cells. Moreover, because of the high speed switching of the VCSEL between its two linear polarizations, address substitution, which is one of the asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) requirements, can be implemented. A compact cell-switch demonstrator is proposed that uses low-cost optically recorded holograms and microlens arrays.