Run Levinger

High-Performance E-Band Transceiver Chipset for Point-to-Point Communication in SiGe BiCMOS Technology

Two fully integrated chipsets covering the entire E-band frequency range, 71-76/81-86 GHz, have been demonstrated. These designs, which were implemented in 0.13- μm SiGe BiCMOS technology, use a sliding IF superheterodyne architecture. The receiver (Rx) chips include an image-reject low-noise amplifier, RF-to-IF mixer, variable gain IF amplifier (IF VGA), quadrature IF-to-baseband (BB) de-modulator, tunable BB filter, phase-locked loop (PLL) synthesizer, and a frequency quadrupler. At room temperature the Rx chips achieve a maximum gain of 73 dB, 6-dB noise figure, better than -12-dBm input third-order intercept point, more than 65-dB dynamic range, and consume 600 mW for lower band (LB) (71-76 GHz) and higher band (HB) (81-86 GHz) alike. The transmitter (Tx) chips include a power amplifier, image reject driver, variable RF attenuators, power detector, IF-to-RF up-converting mixer, IF VGA, quadrature BB-to-IF modulator, PLL, and a frequency multiplier. The Tx chips achieve a power 1-dB compression point (P1dB) of 17.5/16.6 dBm, saturated power (Psat) of 20.5/18.8 dBm on a single-ended output, up to 39-dB gain with an analog controlled dynamic range of 30 dB, and consumes 1.75/1.8 W for the LB and HB, respectively. This state-of-the-art performance enables the usage of complex modulations and high-capacity transmission.

A 16.2 Gbps 60 GHz SiGe transmitter for outdoor wireless links

A fully integrated 60 GHz transmitter in 130 nm BiCMOS SiGe technology for outdoor applications is presented. The transmitter covers the entire 57-66 GHz band supporting a record data rate of 16.2 Gbps at 6 dBm output power, 512 QAM with an EVM of -34 dB. The single ended saturated power, OP1dB, and OIP3 are above 18 dBm, 16 dBm and 23 dBm respectively. The transmitter meets the most stringent ETSI emission mask for point-to-point communication at class6LB, 500 MHz bandwidth with an output noise floor below -133 dBm/Hz. The area of the transmitter is 15 mm2 and it consumes 1.2 W.

A SiGe ku-band frequency doubler with 50% bandwidth and high harmonic suppression

A compact ×2 frequency multiplier covering all ku band is implemented in IBM 0.13μm SiGe technology. The transformer coupled circuit uses a common base configuration working in B- class mode and utilizes transmission lines properties to achieve harmonic suppression. The doubler covers a 3dB frequency range between 12.2 GHz to 20.4 GHz with a saturated output power above 9 dBm. The fundamental frequency is suppressed by over 27 dBc and the 4th harmonic is suppressed by more than 25 dBc across frequency band. The core design occupies only 550 μm × 620 μm and consumes 37 mW from a 2.7 V supply.

A Dual-Loop Synthesizer With Fast Frequency Modulation Ability for 77/79 GHz FMCW Automotive Radar Applications

The implementation of wideband mm-wave radars for automotive applications necessitates wideband, fast, and precise linear frequency modulation generation. In this paper, we propose to use dual-loop phase-locked loop (PLL) architecture for this task. The frequency modulation dynamics are analyzed for this architecture. The results are employed to implement a SiGe BiCMOS fully integrated 75–83 GHz frequency-modulated continuous-wave synthesizer. Performance enhancements were achieved by utilizing the bulk-drain parasitic variable capacitance of P-channel transistors, embedded in a gm-boosted Colpitts VCO, for frequency control. This mechanism together with the dual-loop PLL architecture provides low loop bandwidth variation over the whole output frequency range, −97 dBc/Hz phase noise at 1-MHz offset, and maximal modulation rate of 100 GHz/ms.

Highly Linear 60-GHz SiGe Downconversion/Upconversion Mixers

A linear RF to IF downconversion and IF to RF upconversion mixers for 60-GHz transceivers were implemented in 0.13-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation=LaTeX>

A 71–86GHz multi-tanh up-conversion mixer achieving +1dBm OP1dB in 0.13 μm SiGe technology

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A double balanced 81–86GHz EBAND active down conversion mixer in SiGe technology

</tex-math></inline-formula> SiGe technology. The mixers were implemented using a mixing core only topology for enhanced linearity, with no local oscillator (LO) buffers and a transformer-based matching network for IF frequencies. The downconversion mixer at full attenuation shows a minimum of 10-dBm IIP3 and maximum measured loss of 6.5 dB within the entire 57–66 GHz frequency band. Without attenuation, the conversion gain is above 4 dB, with better than 2-dBm IIP3 and a noise figure maximum value of 14 dB within the band. The transmit mixer exhibits less than 2.5-dB conversion loss, better than 7.5-dBm OIP3 with minimal temperature variations. For improved LO to RF isolation, separated dc bias control is used in the mixing devices providing over 46-dBc LO suppression within the band. The mixers occupy only 0.47 and 0.22 mm<inline-formula> <tex-math notation=LaTeX>

System, a method and a computer program product for electronic sub-integer frequency division

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High power SiGe E-band transmitter for broadband communication

</tex-math></inline-formula> consuming 56 mW for downconversion mixer with IF amplifier and 27 mW for upconversion mixer.

System and method for controlling a voltage controlled oscillator

A high output 1dB compression up-conversion mixer for the entire E band frequency range, 71-76 GHz and 81-86 GHz, is designed and fabricated in IBM 0.13 μm SiGe technology. The mixer is comprised of a double balanced Gilbert cell and a multi-tanh three transistor hybrid transconductance stage, used to enhance the mixer linearity. The conversion gain and output 1dB compression are 3.9dB and +1dBm, respectively at 71GHz and vary within 3dB and 4dB respectively over the entire 15GHz range. LO leakage is less then -30dB and noise figure is under 9dB. The circuit consumes 80mW from a 2.7V supply.