Stephane Pinel

A 90nm CMOS 60GHz Radio

CMOS-based circuits operating at mm-wave frequencies have emerged in the past few years. This paper discusses the integration of a 60GHz CMOS single-chip transmitter and a single- chip receiver using a standard 90nm CMOS technology demonstrating a reliable solution for 60GHz single-chip radio. Proper transistor layout, complete and accurate modeling and optimized parasitic extraction method enabled the robust design of the wideband super-heterodyne architecture to support the entire 57- to-66GHz band. The analog radio front-end is controlled by a serial digital interface and has been co-designed and integrated together with a high-speed digital signal processor including analog-to-digital conversion, high speed PHY signal processing such as frequency-offset compensation, phase tracking, FIR and DFE, to support both advanced OFDM and SCBT modulation scheme. The resulting single-chip solution enables data throughputs exceeding 7Gb/s (QPSK) and 15Gb/s (16QAM) for a total DC power budget of below 200mW in TDD operation. In combination with a low-cost FR4-based packaging technology, it provides a high-performance cost-effective solution for a wide range of high volume consumer electronic applications.

Low-loss LTCC cavity filters using system-on-package technology at 60 GHz

In this paper, three-dimensional (3-D) integrated cavity resonators and filters consisting of via walls are demonstrated as a system-on-package compact solution for RF front-end modules at 60 GHz using low-temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) technology. Slot excitation with a /spl lambda/g/4 open stub has been applied and evaluated in terms of experimental performance and fabrication accuracy and simplicity. The strongly coupled cavity resonator provides an insertion loss <0.84 dB, a return loss >20.6 dB over the passband (/spl sim/0.89 GHz), and a 3-dB bandwidth of approximately 1.5% (/spl sim/0.89 GHz), as well as a simple fabrication of the feeding structure (since it does not require to drill vias to implement the feeding structure). The design has been utilized to develop a 3-D low-loss three-pole bandpass filter for 60-GHz wireless local area network narrow-band (/spl sim/1 GHz) applications. This is the first demonstration entirely authenticated by measurement data for 60-GHz 3-D LTCC cavity filters. This filter exhibits an insertion loss of 2.14 dB at the center frequency of 58.7 GHz, a rejection >16.4 dB over the passband, and a 3-dB bandwidth approximately 1.38% (/spl sim/0.9 GHz).

3-D-integrated RF and millimeter-wave functions and modules using liquid crystal polymer (LCP) system-on-package technology

Electronics packaging evolution involves system, technology, and material considerations. In this paper, we present a novel three-dimensional (3-D) integration approach for system-on-package (SOP)-based solutions for wireless communication applications. This concept is proposed for the 3-D integration of RF and millimeter (mm) wave embedded functions in front-end modules by means of stacking substrates using liquid crystal polymer (LCP) multilayer and /spl mu/BGA technologies. Characterization and modeling of high-Q RF inductors using LCP is described. A single-input-single-output (SISO) dual-band filter operating at ISM 2.4-2.5 GHz and UNII 5.15-5.85 GHz frequency bands, two dual-polarization 2/spl times/1 antenna arrays operating at 14 and 35 GHz, and a WLAN IEEE 802.11a-compliant compact module (volume of 75/spl times/35/spl times/0.2 mm/sup 3/) have been fabricated on LCP substrate, showing the great potential of the SOP approach for 3-D-integrated RF and mm wave functions and modules.

A V-band front-end with 3-D integrated cavity filters/duplexers and antenna in LTCC technologies

This paper presents a compact system-on-package-based front-end solution for 60-GHz-band wireless communication/sensor applications that consists of fully integrated three-dimensional (3-D) cavity filters/duplexers and antenna. The presented concept is applied to the design, fabrication, and testing of V-band (receiver (Rx): 59-61.5 GHz, transmitter (Tx): 61.5-64 GHz) transceiver front-end module using multilayer low-temperature co-fired ceramic technology. Vertically stacked 3-D low-loss cavity bandpass filters are developed for Rx and Tx channels to realize a fully integrated compact duplexer. Each filter exhibits excellent performance (Rx: IL<2.37 dB, 3-dB bandwidth (BW) /spl sim/3.5%, Tx: IL<2.39 dB, 3-dB BW /spl sim/3.33%). The fabrication tolerances contributing to the resonant frequency experimental downshift were investigated and taken into account in the simulations of the rest devices. The developed cavity filters are utilized to realize the compact duplexers by using microstrip T-junctions. This integrated duplexer shows Rx/Tx BW of 4.20% and 2.66% and insertion loss of 2.22 and 2.48 dB, respectively. The different experimental results of the duplexer compared to the individual filters above are attributed to the fabrication tolerance, especially on microstrip T-junctions. The measured channel-to-channel isolation is better than 35.2 dB across the Rx band (56-58.4 GHz) and better than 38.4 dB across the Tx band (59.3-60.9 GHz). The reported fully integrated Rx and Tx filters and the dual-polarized cross-shaped patch antenna functions demonstrate a novel 3-D deployment of embedded components equipped with an air cavity on the top. The excellent overall performance of the full integrated module is verified through the 10-dB BW of 2.4 GHz (/spl sim/4.18%) at 57.45 and 2.3 GHz (/spl sim/3.84%) at 59.85 GHz and the measured isolation better than 49 dB across the Rx band and better than 51.9 dB across the Tx band.

Highly integrated millimeter-wave passive components using 3-D LTCC system-on-package (SOP) technology

In this paper, we demonstrate the development of advanced three-dimensional (3-D) low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) system-on-package (SOP) passive components for compact low-cost millimeter-wave wireless front-end modules. Numerous miniaturized easy-to-design passive circuits that can be used as critical building blocks for millimeter-wave SOP modules have hereby been realized with high-performance and high-integration potential. One miniaturized slotted-patch resonator has been designed by the optimal use of vertical coupling mechanism and transverse cuts and has been utilized to realize compact duplexers (39.8/59 GHz) and three- and five-pole bandpass filters by the novel 3-D (vertical and parallel) deployment of single-mode patch resonators. Measured results agree very well with the simulated data. One multiplexing filter, called the directional channel-separation filter, that can also be used in mixer applications shows insertion loss of <3 dB over the bandpass frequency band and a rejection /spl sim/25 dB at around 38.5 GHz over the band-rejection section. LTCC fabrication limitations have been overcome by using vertical coupling mechanisms to satisfy millimeter-wave design requirements. Lastly, a double-fed cross-shaped microstrip antenna has been designed for the purpose of doubling the data throughput by means of a dual-polarized wireless channel, covering the band between 59-64 GHz. This antenna can be easily integrated into a wireless millimeter-wave link system.

Design of compact stacked-patch antennas in LTCC multilayer packaging modules for wireless applications

A simple procedure for the design of compact stacked-patch antennas is presented based on LTCC multilayer packaging technology. The advantage of this topology is that only one parameter, i.e., the substrate thickness (or equivalently the number of LTCC layers), needs to be adjusted in order to achieve an optimized bandwidth performance. The validity of the new design strategy is verified through applying it to practical compact antenna design for several wireless communication bands, including ISM 2.4-GHz band, IEEE 802.11a 5.8-GHz, and LMDS 28-GHz band. It is shown that a 10-dB return-loss bandwidth of 7% can be achieved for the LTCC (/spl epsiv//sub r/=5.6) multilayer structure with a thickness of less than 0.03 wavelengths, which can be realized using a different number of laminated layers for different frequencies (e.g., three layers for the 28-GHz band).

A compact LTCC-based Ku-band transmitter module

Presents design, implementation, and measurement of a three-dimensional (3-D)-deployed RF front-end system-on-package (SOP) in a standard multi-layer low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) technology. A compact 14 GHz GaAs MESFET-based transmitter module integrated with an embedded bandpass filter was built on LTCC 951AT tapes. The up-converter MMIC integrated with a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) exhibits a measured up-conversion gain of 15 dB and an IIP3 of 15 dBm, while the power amplifier (PA) MMIC shows a measured gain of 31 dB and a 1-dB compression output power of 26 dBm at 14 GHz. Both MMICs were integrated on a compact LTCC module where an embedded front-end band pass filter (BPF) with a measured insertion loss of 3 dB at 14.25 GHz was integrated. The transmitter module is compact in size (400 /spl times/ 310 /spl times/ 35.2 mil/sup 3/), however it demonstrated an overall up-conversion gain of 41 dB, and available data rate of 32 Mbps with adjacent channel power ratio (ACPR) of 42 dB. These results suggest the feasibility of building highly SOP integrated RF front ends for microwave and millimeter wave applications.

Integrated RF architectures in fully-organic SOP technology

Future wireless communications systems require better performance, lower cost, and compact RF front-end footprint. The RF front-end module development and its level of integration are, thus, continuous challenges. In most of the presently used microwave integrated circuit technologies, it is difficult to integrate the passives efficiently with required quality. Another critical obstacle in the design of passive components, which occupy the highest percentage of integrated circuit and circuit board real estate, includes the effort to reduce the module size. These issues can be addressed with multilayer substrate technology. A multilayer organic (MLO)-based process offers the potential as the next generation technology of choice for electronic packaging. It uses a cost effective process, while offering design flexibility and optimized integration due to its multilayer topology. We present the design, model, and measurement data of RF-microwave multilayer transitions and integrated passives implemented in a MLO system on package (SOP) technology. Compact, high Q inductors, and embedded filter designs for wireless module applications are demonstrated for the first time in this technology.

Fully Integrated Passive Front-End Solutions for a V-band LTCC Wireless System

A novel topology implementing a 3-D fully integrated filter and antenna function is proposed as a system-on-package (SOP) compact front-end solution for the low-temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) based V-band modules. A 4-pole quasi-elliptic bandpass filter composed of four open loop resonators has been developed. It exhibits an insertion loss <3.5 dB, a return loss >15 dB over the pass band (~3.4 GHz) and a 3 dB bandwidth of about 5.46% (~3.4 GHz) at the center frequency of 62.3 GHz. In addition, a series fed 1 4 linear antenna array of four microstrip patches exhibiting high gain and fan-beam radiation pattern has been designed. Its 10 dB bandwidth is experimentally validated to be 55.4-66.8 GHz (~18.5%). The above proposed designs have been combined together, leading to the complete integration of passives with a high level of selectivity over the band of interest. The excellent overall performance of the integrated solution is verified through a 10-dB bandwidth of 4.8 GHz (59.2-64 GHz) and a return loss >10.5 dB over the passband.

Low-Loss Integrated-Waveguide Passive Circuits Using Liquid-Crystal Polymer System-on-Package (SOP) Technology for Millimeter-Wave Applications

In this paper, we show a low-loss integrated waveguide (IWG), microstrip line-to-IWG transition, IWG bandpass filter (BPF), and system-on-package (SOP) using a liquid-crystal polymer (LCP) substrate, which can be used toward SOP technology for millimeter-wave applications. The proposed IWG can be used as a low-loss millimeter-wave transmission line on this substrate. The measured insertion loss of the IWG is -0.12 dB/mm and the measured insertion loss of two microstrip line-to-IWG transitions is -0.14 dB at 60 GHz. The evaluated IWG filter is demonstrated as the pre-select filter for RF front-end modules at the millimeter-wave band. The fabricated three-pole BPF at a center frequency of 61.1 GHz has specifications: a 3-dB bandwidth of approximately 13.4% (~8.4 GHz), an insertion loss of -1.8 dB at the center frequency of 61.1 GHz, and a rejection of >15 dB over the passband. The proposed IWG can also be used as a low-loss millimeter-wave feed-through transition and interconnection between the monolithic microwave integrated circuit and the module instead of the vertical via structure. In terms of a SOP on LCP for millimeter-wave applications, the top face of the IWG does not have any electromagnetic effects, and a package lid can be attached to provide a hermetic sealing. These low-loss IWG circuits on LCP can easily be used in many millimeter-wave packaging applications