Script list Publications
(1) Vital Signs Monitoring using Pseudo-Random Noise Coded Doppler Radar with Delta-Sigma Modulation
S. Abouzaid, W. Ahmad, T.F. Eibert, H.J. Ng
IET Radar, Sonar & Navigation 14(11), 1778 (2020)
DOI: 10.1049/iet-rsn.2020.0170
A distance selective pseudo-random noise (PRN)-coded Doppler radar is proposed. The radar is capable of measuring the vital signs of a human in a noisy environment with high precision. The distance selectivity feature is achieved by the use of PRN modulation to focus on the desired target at a certain distance and suppress the Doppler frequencies of other targets at different distances. In addition, an offset signal using Delta–Sigma modulation is generated to cope with the suppression of low-Doppler frequencies, very close to DC, in AC-coupled systems. The authors compare the performance of the proposed radar system to a frequency modulated continuous wave radar in measuring the Doppler frequencies of two loudspeakers located at different ranges. In addition, they experimentally evaluated the proposed radar in measuring the vital signs of a human in a noisy environment. The radar is capable of isolating the Doppler frequencies of the vital signs from the surrounding noise. In addition, vital signs information is preserved at higher frequencies away from the high-pass filter in AC-coupled systems.
(2) Millimeter-Wave Single-Layer Full-Band WR12 Vertical Waveguide Transition
W. Ahmad, D. Kissinger, H.J. Ng
Proc. IEEE Radio and Wireless Symposium (RWS 2020), 298 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/RWS45077.2020.9050127, (radar4FAD)
(3) Modular Scalable 80- and 160-GHz Radar Sensor Platform for Multiple Radar Techniques and Applications
W. Ahmad, M. Kucharski, A. Ergintav, D. Kissinger, H.J. Ng
Proc. IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS 2020), 1275 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/IMS30576.2020.9223918, (EMPHASE)
(4) Modular Scalable 80- and 160-GHz Radar Sensor Platform for Multiple Radar Techniques and Applications
W. Ahmad, M. Kucharski, A. Ergintav, D. Kissinger, H.J. Ng
Proc. IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS 2020), 1275 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/IMS30576.2020.9223918, (radar4FAD)
(5) Micromachined 160 GHz Endfire Antenna in 130-nm BiCMOS Technology for Radar Applications
W. Ahmad, H.J. Ng, C. Waldschmidt, D. Kissinger
Proc. IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation (APS 2020), 1859 (2020)
This paper presents a compact differential D-band on-chip patch antenna with high efficiency based on a localized baskside etching (LBE) technique on a 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS technology for radar applications. The on-chip patch antenna is driven differentially to allow direct integration with circuits into single chip and offers a compact realization with high gain and directivity. The geometry of the on-chip antenna and the LBE air trenches are optimized to meet process reliability specifications and radiation performance simultaneously. A prototype antenna is integrated with radar transmitter and fabricated to validate the design where the radiation pattern is measured. The measured peak gain is 7 dBi at 160 GHz with 60 % simulated efficiency. The measured 1-dB gain bandwidth is 10 GHz.
(6) 90 GHz Bandwidth Single-Ended PA for D-Band Applications in BiCMOS Technology
A. Ali, J. Yun, H.J. Ng, D. Kissinger, F. Giannini, P. Colantonio
Proc. 4th Australian Microwave Symposium (AMS 2020), (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/AMS48904.2020.9059473
(7) Wideband Frequency Quadrupler for D-Band Applications in BiCMOS Technology
A. Ali, J. Yun, H.J. Ng, D. Kissinger, F. Giannini, P. Colantonio
Proc. 23rd International Microwave and Radar Conference (MIKON 2020), 229 (2020)
DOI: 10.23919/MIKON48703.2020.9253849
(8) 220–360-GHz Broadband Frequency Multiplier Chains (x8) in 130-nm BiCMOS Technology
A. Ali, J. Yun, M. Kucharski, H.J. Ng, D. Kissinger, P. Colantonio
IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques 68(7), 2701 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/TMTT.2020.2988869
This article presents two broadband frequency multiplier chains (FMCs) fabricated with a standard 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS process. In both solutions, a broadband push-push frequency doubler (x2) operating at 220–360 GHz was employed. In order to properly drive such a doubler, with sufficient input power and bandwidth, two different power amplifiers (PAs) have been adopted: the former is based on a cascode configuration and the latter is based on a stacked topology. In addition, a D-band frequency quadrupler (x4) has been integrated before the PAs and doubler, to complete the design of frequency eighth tupler (x8) chains. The first FMC with the cascode PA achieves peak output power of 2.3 dBm, with maximum conversion gain (GC) and bandwidth of 15 dB and 127 GHz, respectively. The second FMC with the stacked PA delivers a saturated output power of 2.5 dBm, with a maximum GC and a bandwidth of 12 dB and 72 GHz, respectively. The two FMCs consume maximum dc power of 0.537 and 0.542 W. The complete design procedure of the FMCs is presented in this article. To the best of our knowledge, the reported bandwidth is state-of-the-art and widest among SiGe based FMCs.
(9) Wideband 4-Way Combined Power Amplifier in BiCMOS Technology for D-Band Applications
A. Ali, W. Ahmad, H.J. Ng, D. Kissinger, F. Giannini, P. Colantonio
Proc. Asia Pacific Microwave Conference (APMC 2020), 107 (2020)
(10) 168-195 GHz Power Amplifier with Output Power Larger than 18 dBm in BiCMOS Technology
A. Ali, J. Yun, F. Giannini, H.J. Ng, D. Kissinger, P. Colantonio
IEEE Access 8, 79299 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2990681
This paper presents a 4-way combined G-band power amplifier (PA) fabricated with a 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS process. First, a single-ended PA based on the cascode topology (CT) is designed at 185 GHz, which consists of three stages to get an overall gain and an output power higher than 27 dB and 13 dBm, respectively. Then, a 4-way combiner/splitter was designed using low-loss transmission lines at 130-210 GHz. Finally, the combiner was loaded with four single-ended PAs to complete the design of a 4-way combined PA. The chip of the fabricated PA occupies an area of 1.35mm2 . The realized PA shows a saturated output power of 18.1 dBm with a peak gain of 25.9 dB and power-added efficiency (PAE) of 3.5% at 185 GHz. A maximum output power of 18.7 dBm with PAE of 4.4% is achieved at 170 GHz. The 3-dB and 6-dB bandwidth of the PA are 27 and 42 GHz, respectively. In addition, the PA delivers a saturated output power higher than 18 dBm in the frequency range 140-186 GHz. To the best of our knowledge, the power reported in this paper is the highest for G-band SiGe BiCMOS PAs.
(11) D-Band Balanced PA with Wideband Performance in BiCMOS Technology
A. Ali, J. Yun, H.J. Ng, D. Kissinger, F. Giannini, P. Colantonio
Proc. International Workshop on Integrated Nonlinear Microwave and Millimetre-Wave Circuits (INMMiC 2020), 1 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/INMMiC46721.2020.9160324
(12) Multi-Channel FSK Inter/Intra-Chip Communication by Exploiting Field-Confined Slow-Wave Transmission Line
Q. Chen, C.C. Boon, X. Zhang, C. Li, Y. Liang, Z. Liu, T. Guo
Proc. IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS 2020), (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/ISCAS45731.2020.9180890
(13) A 3GS/s Highly Linear Energy Efficient Constant-Slope Based Voltage-to-Time Converter
Q. Chen, Y. Liang, B. Kim, C.C. Boon
Proc. IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS 2020), (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/ISCAS45731.2020.9180535
(14) A 6bit 1.2GS/s Symmetric Successive Approximation Energy-Efficient Time-to-Digital Converter in 40nm CMOS
Q. Chen, Y. Liang, C.C. Boon
Proc. IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS 2020), (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/ISCAS45731.2020.9180949
(15) A Monolithically Integrated Optical Bandpass Receiver in 0.25μm SiGe BiCMOS Technology for Microwave-Photonic Applications
G. Dziallas, A. Fatemi, F. Korndörfer, A. Peczek, D. Kissinger, L. Zimmermann, A. Malignaggi, G. Kahmen
Proc. IEEE Asian Solid-State Circuits Conference (A-SSCC 2020), S12-3 (2020)
In this paper we present an optical receiver that features a bandpass characteristic and is monolithically integrated with a Germanium photodiode in a silicon photonic technology working at millimeter-wave frequencies. We achieve a large electrical 3-dB bandwidth of 62 GHz at a center-frequency of 65 GHz, 12.5 dB gain, an OP1dB of 0.4 dBm, a power consumption of 58 mW and an electro—optical 3-dB bandwidth of 20 GHz. Due to the monolithic integration and performance shown, the optical bandpass receiver appears to be the prefered solution for optoelectronic oscillators, optical antenna remoting, multi-Gbps radio-over-fiber systems and other microwave photonic applications.
(16) 100 Gbps 0.8-m Wireless Link based on Fully Integrated 240 GHz IQ Transmitter and Receiver
M.H. Eissa, N. Maletic, E. Grass, R. Kraemer, D. Kissinger, A. Malignaggi
Proc. IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS 2020), 627 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/IMS30576.2020.9224101, (WORTECS)
(17) Frequency Interleaving IF Transmitter and Receiver for 240-GHz Communication in SiGe:C BiCMOS
M.H. Eissa, N. Maletic, L. Lopacinski, A. Malignaggi, G. Panic, R. Kraemer, G. Fischer, D. Kissinger
IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques 68(1), 239 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/TMTT.2019.2940018, (fast spot)
This work presents fully-integrated modular wideband frequency interleaving (FI) transmitter and receiver for high data rate communication applications. At the transmitter side three independent I/Q baseband channels are up-converted to different intermediate frequencies (IF) and then interleaved. At the receiver side the interleaved signals are down-converted and separated back to each independent channel. Single-ended inputs and outputs are utilized in order to reduce the pin count, for a more practical realization and higher potential toward future system scaling. Special design techniques are followed to minimize cross-talk and inter-modulation products between the channels. All circuits are manufactured and measured in a 130nm SiGe:C BiCMOS technology with fT / fmax = 300 / 500 GHz. The FI transmitter achieves a channel bandwidth of 2.5 GHz with less than 3 dB difference across the different channels till 15 GHz IF. It consumes 560mW from 2.5V and 3.3V supplies, and occupies a silicon area of 1.9mm2. The FI receiver achieves a baseband channel bandwidth of 2.5GHz with a 1 dB difference between the channels till the same IF. It consumes 890mW from 2.5V and 3.3V supplies, and has a chip area of 1.55mm2. The circuits are deployed in a communication experiment, firstly in a back-to-back test with direct cable connection, demonstrating a data rate of 15.6 Gb/s across the three IQ channels with a 16- QAM modulation scheme and worst case transmitter-to-receiver (Tx-to-Rx) error vector magnitude (EVM) of -18.6 dB. Then a wireless experiment is performed with a 240 GHz front-end with on-chip antenna, demonstrating a data rate of 7.8 Gb/s with QPSK modulation and worst case EVM of -8.3 dB across a wireless link of 15 cm. To the best of the authors’ knowledge this is the first work that demonstrates a wireless transmission at sub-THz carrier frequencies utilizing frequency interleaving architectures.
(18) Ultra Broadband Low-Power 70 GHz Active Balun in 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS
A. Franzese, M.H. Eissa, T. Mausolf, D. Kissinger, R. Negra, A. Malignaggi
Proc. IEEE BiCMOS and Compound Semiconductor Integrated Circuits and Technology Symposium (BCICTS 2020), (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/BCICTS48439.2020.9392960, (Taranto)
(19) A V-Band Bidirectional Amplifier-Module for Hybrid Phased-Array Systems in BiCMOS Technology
A. Gadallah, M.H. Eissa, D. Kissinger, A. Malignaggi
Proc. IEEE Radio and Wireless Week (RWW 2020), 330 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/RWS45077.2020.9050023, (HYPAA)
(20) A V-Band Miniaturized Bidirectional Switchless PALNA in SiGe:C BiCMOS Technology
A. Gadallah, M.H. Eissa, D. Kissinger, A. Malignaggi
IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters 30(8), 786 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/LMWC.2020.3005211, (HYPAA)
This work presents a V-band switchless bidirectional power amplifier-low noise amplifier (PALNA) in a SiGe:C 130nm BiCMOS technology, featuring ft/fmax of 250/340 GHz. This bidirectional PALNA architecture avoids the use of lossy transmit-receive switches by introducing a proper matching network which insures a good isolation when the amplifier is OFF and satisfies the input/output matching requirements when the amplifier is ON. On wafer measurements show that the designed PALNA has a peak small signal gain of 16.5 dB and 17 dB in Tx mode and Rx mode respectively, with a reverse isolation better than 40 dB, while maintaining wideband performance over the desired band from 57 GHz to 66 GHz. In Rx mode, the simulated noise figure (NF) is 6.5 dB over the required band. Furthermore, an output 1 dB compression point (OP1dB) of 11dBm in Tx mode and an input 1 dB compression point (IP1dB) of -20dBm in Rx mode have been achieved. The switchless PALNA occupies only 0.18mm2 and consumes 130mW/ and 36mW in Tx and Rx modes respectively.
(21) An Advanced Audio System for Stereo Reproduction Enhancement
D.A. Giliberti, F. Iseini, N. Pelagalli, A. Terenzi, S. Cecchi
Proc. 148th AES Convention 2020, 1 (2020)
(22) A 440-540-GHz Subharmonic Mixer in 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS
A. Güner, T. Mausolf, J. Wessel, D. Kissinger, K. Schmalz
IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters 30(12), 1161 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/LMWC.2020.3030315, (DFG-AGS)
A subharmonic mixer (SHM), which is measured within the RF range 450-500 GHz, is presented. The SHM uses a single-balanced topology with optimized parameters for gas spectroscopy at 440-540 GHz. The differential RF input of the mixer core is transformed to a single-ended input using a Marchand balun. The mixer is designed using a 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS technology. The mixer shows a measured conversion loss of 8.5 dB and an estimated noise figure of 33 dB at 480 GHz, using -1 dBm local oscillator (LO) power. The conversion loss was quantified to be in the range of 7.5-12.5 dB at 450-500 GHz.
(23) A Modular MIMO Millimeter-Wave Imaging Radar System for Space Applications and its Components
M. Hrobak, K. Thurn, J. Moll, M. Hossain, A. Shrestha, T. Al-Sawaf, D. Stoppel, N.G. Weimann, A. Raemer, W. Heinrich, J. Martinez, M. Vossiek, T.K. Johansen, V. Krozer, M. Resch, J. Bosse, M. Sterns, K. Loebbicke, S. Zorn, M.H. Eissa, M. Lisker, F. Herzel, R. Miesen, K. Vollmann
International Journal of Infrared and Millimeter Waves (2020)
DOI: 10.1007/s10762-020-00736-9, (MIMIRAWE)
This article presents the design and prototyping of components for a modular multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) millimeter-wave radar for space applications. A single radar panel consists of 8 transmitters (TX) and 8 receivers (RX), which can be placed several times on the satellite to realize application-specific radar apertures and hence different cross-range resolutions. The radar chirp signals are generated by SiGe:C BiCMOS direct-digital-synthesizers (DDS) in the frequency range of 1 to 10.5GHz with a chirp repetition rate of < 1μs within each TX and RX. The latter allows for easy interfaces in the MHz range in between the TX/RX units and therefore optimized 2-D sparse antenna arrays with rather large distances in between the TX/RX antennas. Furthermore, this allows for ideally linear frequency modulated continuous-waveforms (FMCW) in conjunction with phase-shift-keying (PSK) radar signals and enables simultaneous operation of all TX when code division multiplex (CDMA) modulation schemes are applied. Comparably low complexity of the TX/RX units has been achieved by applying straightforward frequency plans to signal generation and detection but comes with challenging requirements for the individual active and passive components. Tackled by thin film technology on alumina and the recently developed SiGe and InP semiconductor technologies, which have been further optimized in terms of process maturity and space qualification. Upconversion and downconversion to and from 85 to 94.5GHz are performed by double balanced Gilbert mixers realized with InP double heterojunction bipolar transistor technology (DHBT) and 42-GHz local oscillator signals from SiGe:C BiCMOS VCO synthesizer using phase-locked-loops (PLL). InP DHBT power amplifiers and low-noise amplifiers allow for output power levels of 15dBm and > 30dB gain with noise figure values of 9dB, respectively. The MIMO radar utilizes patch antenna arrays on organic multilayer printed circuit boards (PCB) with 18dBi gain and 18º half power beamwidth (HPBW). Generation of power supply and control signals, analog-to-digital conversion (ADC), and radar signal processing are provided centrally to each panel. The radar supports detection and tracking of satellites in distances up to 1000m and image generation up to 20m, which is required to support orbital maneuvers like satellite rendezvous and docking for non-cooperative satellites.
(24) Broadband 110 - 170 GHz True Time Delay Circuit in a 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS Technology
A. Karakuzulu, M.H. Eissa, D. Kissinger, A. Malignaggi
Proc. IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS 2020), 775 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/IMS30576.2020.9223843, (Taranto)
(25) A 311.6 GHz Phase-Locked Loop in 0.13 μm SiGe BiCMOS Process with –90 dBc/Hz In-Band Phase Noise
Y. Liang, C.C. Boon, Y. Dong, Q. Chen, Z. Liu, C. Li, T. Mausolf, D. Kissinger, Y. Wang, H.J. Ng
Proc. IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS 2020), 1133 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/IMS30576.2020.9224047
(26) 320 GHz On-Chip Circularly-Polarized Antenna Array Realized with 0.13 μm BiCMOS Technology
W. Lin, R. Ziolkowski, W. Ahmad, Y. Yang, L. Yuan, H.J. Ng, Y. Wang, D. Kissinger
Proc. IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation (APS 2020), 1467 (2020)
(27) 5G and Beyond: Multi Baseband PSSS Architecture for 100 Gbps Wireless Communication
L. Lopacinski, M.H. Eissa, J. Gutierrez Teran, E. Grass
Proc. Workshop on Microwave Theory and Techniques in Wireless Communications (MTTW 2020), 102 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/MTTW51045.2020.9245066, (5G-COMPLETE)
(28) 5G and Beyond: Multi Baseband PSSS Architecture for 100 Gbps Wireless Communication
L. Lopacinski, M.H. Eissa, J. Gutierrez Teran, E. Grass
Proc. Workshop on Microwave Theory and Techniques in Wireless Communications (MTTW 2020), 102 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/MTTW51045.2020.9245066, (PSSS-FEC)
(29) Performance Investigation of 2-GBaud QAMs using Fully-Integrated SiGe Chipset at 240-GHz
N. Maletic, M.H. Eissa, V. Sark, A. Malignaggi, E. Grass
Proc. Workshop on Microwave Theory and Techniques in Wireless Communications (MTTW 2020), 108 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/MTTW51045.2020.9245044, (WORTECS)
(30) Ridge Gap Waveguide Based Liquid Crystal Phase Shifter
M. Nickel, A. Jimenez-Saez, P. Agrawal, A. Gadallah, A. Malignaggi, C. Schuster, R. Reese, H. Tesmer, E. Polat, D. Wang, P. Schumacher, R. Jakoby, D. Kissinger, H. Manue
IEEE Access 8, 77833 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2989547, (HYPAA)
In this paper, the gap waveguide technology is examined for packaging liquid crystal (LC) in tunable microwave devices. For this purpose, a line based passive phase shifter is designed and implemented in a ridge gap waveguide (RGW) topology and filled with LC serving as a functional material. The inherent direct current (DC) decoupling property of gap waveguides is used to utilize the waveguide surroundings as biasing electrodes for tuning the LC. The bed of nails structure of the RGW exhibits an E-field suppression of 76 dB in simulation, forming a completely shielded device. The phase shifter shows a maximum figure of merit (FoM) of 70°/dB from 20 GHz to 30 GHz with a differential phase shift of 387° at 25 GHz. The insertion loss ranges from 3.5 dB to 5.5 dB depending on the applied biasing voltage of 0V to 60 V.
(31) Modular Baseband Processing for mm-Wave and THz Communication
G. Panic, M.H. Eissa, L. Lopacinski, N. Maletic, R. Kraemer
Proc. 8th Small Systems Simulation Symposium (SSSS 2020), 49 (2020)
(6GKom)
(32) SiGe Sub-THz VCOs Design Approach for Imaging Applications
L. Pantoli, H. Bello, G. Leuzzi, H.J. Ng, D. Kissinger
Proc. International Workshop on Integrated Nonlinear Microwave and Millimetre-Wave Circuits (INMMiC 2020), 1 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/INMMiC46721.2020.9160077
(33) A Compact, Low-Power and Constant Output Power 330 GHz Voltage-Controlled Oscillator in 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS
L. Pantoli, H. Bello, H.J. Ng, D. Kissinger, G. Leuzzi
International Journal of Infrared and Millimeter Waves 41, 796 (2020)
DOI: 10.1007/s10762-020-00712-3
Nowadays, terahertz and sub-terahertz frequencies are experiencing a significant interest from both academic and industrial world, since they offer a wide and unused spectrum available for different applications, as high-throughput communications, efficient imaging systems and medical uses. In this work an innovative sub-THz voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) realized with a 130-nm SiGe process is proposed and described in detail. The technology is the SG13G2 bipolar-complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (BiCMOS) provided by IHP foundry. The signal source is conceived for high-resolution THz imaging camera; at design level it has been defined with a push-push architecture and adopts an oscillator core based on a Colpitts topology. State-of-the-art performance has been obtained thanks to the proposed design choices that are uncommon at these frequencies, as for instance, the VCO output taken from the common base node, the use of varactors in anti-series connection and the possibility to define a double output at different harmonic frequencies. These, as well as other innovative expedients, allow to simplify the integration at system level and to achieve compact sizes, very low power consumption and almost constant output power level over the full tuning bandwidth. A relative tuning range of about 5.5% has been obtained around a central frequency of 330 GHz, while the output power is about − 8 dBm with a maximum variation of 0.4 dB. Also the phase noise of − 110 dBc/Hz at 10 MHz offset is very promising. Measurements over different chip samples demonstrate the robustness of the proposed solution and the reliability of the design.
(34) A Compact Circular Multipass Cell for Millimeter-Wave/Terahertz Gas Spectroscopy
N. Rothbart, K. Schmalz, H.-W. Hübers
IEEE Transactions on Terahertz Science and Technology 10(1), 9 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/TTHZ.2019.2950123, (DFG-AGS)
Millimeter-wave/Terahertz (mmW/THz) spectroscopy is a promising tool for gas sensing applications, such as breath analysis or the detection of toxic chemicals, which require compact portable systems. Long gas cells that are needed for high sensitivities are often bulky and limit the portability of the system. We present a compact mmW/THz circular multipass gas cell with an optical path length of 1.9 m and an outer diameter of only 21.5 cm. The beam is refocused at each internal reflection as a consequence of the large divergence of the mmW/THz beams. We determined the losses of the cell to about 3 dB around 250 GHz and demonstrated sensitive gas spectroscopy with a detection limit of 14 ppm/√Hz for acetaldehyde in a mixture with methanol.
(35) 56 GBaud O-Band Transmission using a Photonic BiCMOS Coherent Receiver
P.M. Seiler, A. Peczek, G. Winzer, K. Voigt, St. Lischke, A. Fatemi, L. Zimmermann
46th European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC 2020), (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/ECOC48923.2020.9333218, (PEARLS)
(36) Accurate and Process-Tolerant Resistive Load
B. Sütbas, E. Ozbay, A. Atalar
IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques 68(7), 2495 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/TMTT.2020.2986207
Resistive terminations cannot preserve high-quality matching at high frequencies due to the parasitic effects of the nonideal resistor. Moreover, resistance values of the termination resistors in integrated circuits are subject to process variations. Therefore, it is difficult to obtain accurate and process-tolerant terminations that are crucial for high performance in microwave circuits.We propose a new resistive network that compensates for the high-frequency parasitic effects of the resistors to improve the bandwidth of the termination. In addition to maintaining accuracy, the presented network provides tolerance to variation in the resistor values. The accuracy and tolerance of the proposed structure is analytically shown and experimentally verified by three test structures at the X-band fabricated on a GaN technology. The experimental results show that a small size and wideband 50-Ω load with a return loss better than 25 dB can be obtained, while the resistor value changes ±30%.
(37) Fault Tolerant Platform for Communication and Distance Measurement in Highly Automated Driving
R.T. Syed, M. Ulbricht, W. Ahmad, H.J. Ng, V. Sark, R. Hasan, M. Krstic
Proc. 8th International Conference on Cyber-Physical Systems and Internet-of-Things (CPS & IoT 2020), 673 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/MECO49872.2020.9134189, (EMPHASE)
(38) A Cascadable Integrated Bistatic Six-Port Transceiver at 60 GHz in a 130-nm BiCMOS Technology for SIMO-Radar Applications
M. Voelkel, St. Pechmann, M.H. Eissa, D. Kissinger, R. Weigel, A. Hagelauer
Proc. IEEE Asia-Pacific Microwave Conference (APMC 2019), 622 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/APMC46564.2019.9038421
(39) An Integrated Bistatic 4TX/4RX Six-Port MIMO-Transceiver at 60 GHz in a 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS Technology for Radar Applications
M. Voelkel, S. Pechmann, H.J. Ng, D. Kissinger, R. Weigel, A. Hagelauer
Proc. IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS 2020), 1219 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/IMS30576.2020.9224001
(40) 480-GHz Sensor with Subharmonic Mixer and Integrated Transducer in a 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS Technology
D. Wang, M.H. Eissa, K. Schmalz, T. Kämpfe, D. Kissinger
IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters 30(9), 908 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/LMWC.2020.3013317, (DFG-THz LoC)
A 480-GHz sensor consists of signal stimulus and the transducer element as well as a subharmonic mixer in a 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS technology is reported. It features a mixer first architecture based on down-conversion subharmonic mixer, an local oscillator (LO) chain at 240-GHz using a frequency doubler with variable-gain characterization, and a 480 GHz RF chain, making the fully integrated 480-GHz receiver possible. In a frequency range of 210–270 GHz at a maximum of 1.5-V supply offset, the LO chain has a 14-dB power-level variation, comprising with a 120-GHz frequency quadrupler, a power amplifier, and a variable frequency doubler. The proposed subharmonic receiver is driven by the RF and LO chainwith a multipl ier factor of 16 and 8, respectively. In this way, 480-GHz signal is generated, fed through the transducer, and hetero-mixed at subharmonic mixer. The measured output power difference is adjustable over 8 dB. Along with the intermediate frequency (IF) bandwidth of 20 GHz, the wide RF bandwidth makes it suitable for submillimetre-wave receiver-based dielectric spectroscopy applications. The chip occupies an area of 2.2 mm2 and consumes 290 mW.
(41) 240-GHz Reflectometer with Integrated Transducer for Dielectric Spectroscopy in a 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS Technology
D. Wang, M.H. Eissa, K. Schmalz, T. Kämpfe, D. Kissinger
Proc. IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS 2020), 1129 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/IMS30576.2020.9223849
(42) Microwave and Millimeter Wave Sensors for Industrial, Scientific and Medical Applications in BiCMOS Technology
J. Wessel, K. Schmalz, R.K. Yadav, P.S. Zarrin, F.I. Jamal, D. Wang, G. Fischer
Proc. IEEE International Symposium on Radio-Frequency Integration Technology (RFIT 2020), 290 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/RFIT49453.2020.9226229, (Nexgen)
(43) Microwave and Millimeter Wave Sensors for Industrial, Scientific and Medical Applications in BiCMOS Technology
J. Wessel, K. Schmalz, R.K. Yadav, P.S. Zarrin, F.I. Jamal, D. Wang, G. Fischer
Proc. IEEE International Symposium on Radio-Frequency Integration Technology (RFIT 2020), 290 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/RFIT49453.2020.9226229, (DFG-THz LoC)
(44) Microwave and Millimeter Wave Sensors for Industrial, Scientific and Medical Applications in BiCMOS Technology
J. Wessel, K. Schmalz, R.K. Yadav, P.S. Zarrin, F.I. Jamal, D. Wang, G. Fischer
Proc. IEEE International Symposium on Radio-Frequency Integration Technology (RFIT 2020), 290 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/RFIT49453.2020.9226229, (PlaqueCharM)
(45) Microwave and Millimeter Wave Sensors for Industrial, Scientific and Medical Applications in BiCMOS Technology
J. Wessel, K. Schmalz, R.K. Yadav, P.S. Zarrin, F.I. Jamal, D. Wang, G. Fischer
Proc. IEEE International Symposium on Radio-Frequency Integration Technology (RFIT 2020), 290 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/RFIT49453.2020.9226229, (BioBic)
S. Abouzaid, W. Ahmad, T.F. Eibert, H.J. Ng
IET Radar, Sonar & Navigation 14(11), 1778 (2020)
DOI: 10.1049/iet-rsn.2020.0170
A distance selective pseudo-random noise (PRN)-coded Doppler radar is proposed. The radar is capable of measuring the vital signs of a human in a noisy environment with high precision. The distance selectivity feature is achieved by the use of PRN modulation to focus on the desired target at a certain distance and suppress the Doppler frequencies of other targets at different distances. In addition, an offset signal using Delta–Sigma modulation is generated to cope with the suppression of low-Doppler frequencies, very close to DC, in AC-coupled systems. The authors compare the performance of the proposed radar system to a frequency modulated continuous wave radar in measuring the Doppler frequencies of two loudspeakers located at different ranges. In addition, they experimentally evaluated the proposed radar in measuring the vital signs of a human in a noisy environment. The radar is capable of isolating the Doppler frequencies of the vital signs from the surrounding noise. In addition, vital signs information is preserved at higher frequencies away from the high-pass filter in AC-coupled systems.
(2) Millimeter-Wave Single-Layer Full-Band WR12 Vertical Waveguide Transition
W. Ahmad, D. Kissinger, H.J. Ng
Proc. IEEE Radio and Wireless Symposium (RWS 2020), 298 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/RWS45077.2020.9050127, (radar4FAD)
(3) Modular Scalable 80- and 160-GHz Radar Sensor Platform for Multiple Radar Techniques and Applications
W. Ahmad, M. Kucharski, A. Ergintav, D. Kissinger, H.J. Ng
Proc. IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS 2020), 1275 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/IMS30576.2020.9223918, (EMPHASE)
(4) Modular Scalable 80- and 160-GHz Radar Sensor Platform for Multiple Radar Techniques and Applications
W. Ahmad, M. Kucharski, A. Ergintav, D. Kissinger, H.J. Ng
Proc. IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS 2020), 1275 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/IMS30576.2020.9223918, (radar4FAD)
(5) Micromachined 160 GHz Endfire Antenna in 130-nm BiCMOS Technology for Radar Applications
W. Ahmad, H.J. Ng, C. Waldschmidt, D. Kissinger
Proc. IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation (APS 2020), 1859 (2020)
This paper presents a compact differential D-band on-chip patch antenna with high efficiency based on a localized baskside etching (LBE) technique on a 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS technology for radar applications. The on-chip patch antenna is driven differentially to allow direct integration with circuits into single chip and offers a compact realization with high gain and directivity. The geometry of the on-chip antenna and the LBE air trenches are optimized to meet process reliability specifications and radiation performance simultaneously. A prototype antenna is integrated with radar transmitter and fabricated to validate the design where the radiation pattern is measured. The measured peak gain is 7 dBi at 160 GHz with 60 % simulated efficiency. The measured 1-dB gain bandwidth is 10 GHz.
(6) 90 GHz Bandwidth Single-Ended PA for D-Band Applications in BiCMOS Technology
A. Ali, J. Yun, H.J. Ng, D. Kissinger, F. Giannini, P. Colantonio
Proc. 4th Australian Microwave Symposium (AMS 2020), (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/AMS48904.2020.9059473
(7) Wideband Frequency Quadrupler for D-Band Applications in BiCMOS Technology
A. Ali, J. Yun, H.J. Ng, D. Kissinger, F. Giannini, P. Colantonio
Proc. 23rd International Microwave and Radar Conference (MIKON 2020), 229 (2020)
DOI: 10.23919/MIKON48703.2020.9253849
(8) 220–360-GHz Broadband Frequency Multiplier Chains (x8) in 130-nm BiCMOS Technology
A. Ali, J. Yun, M. Kucharski, H.J. Ng, D. Kissinger, P. Colantonio
IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques 68(7), 2701 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/TMTT.2020.2988869
This article presents two broadband frequency multiplier chains (FMCs) fabricated with a standard 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS process. In both solutions, a broadband push-push frequency doubler (x2) operating at 220–360 GHz was employed. In order to properly drive such a doubler, with sufficient input power and bandwidth, two different power amplifiers (PAs) have been adopted: the former is based on a cascode configuration and the latter is based on a stacked topology. In addition, a D-band frequency quadrupler (x4) has been integrated before the PAs and doubler, to complete the design of frequency eighth tupler (x8) chains. The first FMC with the cascode PA achieves peak output power of 2.3 dBm, with maximum conversion gain (GC) and bandwidth of 15 dB and 127 GHz, respectively. The second FMC with the stacked PA delivers a saturated output power of 2.5 dBm, with a maximum GC and a bandwidth of 12 dB and 72 GHz, respectively. The two FMCs consume maximum dc power of 0.537 and 0.542 W. The complete design procedure of the FMCs is presented in this article. To the best of our knowledge, the reported bandwidth is state-of-the-art and widest among SiGe based FMCs.
(9) Wideband 4-Way Combined Power Amplifier in BiCMOS Technology for D-Band Applications
A. Ali, W. Ahmad, H.J. Ng, D. Kissinger, F. Giannini, P. Colantonio
Proc. Asia Pacific Microwave Conference (APMC 2020), 107 (2020)
(10) 168-195 GHz Power Amplifier with Output Power Larger than 18 dBm in BiCMOS Technology
A. Ali, J. Yun, F. Giannini, H.J. Ng, D. Kissinger, P. Colantonio
IEEE Access 8, 79299 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2990681
This paper presents a 4-way combined G-band power amplifier (PA) fabricated with a 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS process. First, a single-ended PA based on the cascode topology (CT) is designed at 185 GHz, which consists of three stages to get an overall gain and an output power higher than 27 dB and 13 dBm, respectively. Then, a 4-way combiner/splitter was designed using low-loss transmission lines at 130-210 GHz. Finally, the combiner was loaded with four single-ended PAs to complete the design of a 4-way combined PA. The chip of the fabricated PA occupies an area of 1.35mm2 . The realized PA shows a saturated output power of 18.1 dBm with a peak gain of 25.9 dB and power-added efficiency (PAE) of 3.5% at 185 GHz. A maximum output power of 18.7 dBm with PAE of 4.4% is achieved at 170 GHz. The 3-dB and 6-dB bandwidth of the PA are 27 and 42 GHz, respectively. In addition, the PA delivers a saturated output power higher than 18 dBm in the frequency range 140-186 GHz. To the best of our knowledge, the power reported in this paper is the highest for G-band SiGe BiCMOS PAs.
(11) D-Band Balanced PA with Wideband Performance in BiCMOS Technology
A. Ali, J. Yun, H.J. Ng, D. Kissinger, F. Giannini, P. Colantonio
Proc. International Workshop on Integrated Nonlinear Microwave and Millimetre-Wave Circuits (INMMiC 2020), 1 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/INMMiC46721.2020.9160324
(12) Multi-Channel FSK Inter/Intra-Chip Communication by Exploiting Field-Confined Slow-Wave Transmission Line
Q. Chen, C.C. Boon, X. Zhang, C. Li, Y. Liang, Z. Liu, T. Guo
Proc. IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS 2020), (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/ISCAS45731.2020.9180890
(13) A 3GS/s Highly Linear Energy Efficient Constant-Slope Based Voltage-to-Time Converter
Q. Chen, Y. Liang, B. Kim, C.C. Boon
Proc. IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS 2020), (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/ISCAS45731.2020.9180535
(14) A 6bit 1.2GS/s Symmetric Successive Approximation Energy-Efficient Time-to-Digital Converter in 40nm CMOS
Q. Chen, Y. Liang, C.C. Boon
Proc. IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS 2020), (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/ISCAS45731.2020.9180949
(15) A Monolithically Integrated Optical Bandpass Receiver in 0.25μm SiGe BiCMOS Technology for Microwave-Photonic Applications
G. Dziallas, A. Fatemi, F. Korndörfer, A. Peczek, D. Kissinger, L. Zimmermann, A. Malignaggi, G. Kahmen
Proc. IEEE Asian Solid-State Circuits Conference (A-SSCC 2020), S12-3 (2020)
In this paper we present an optical receiver that features a bandpass characteristic and is monolithically integrated with a Germanium photodiode in a silicon photonic technology working at millimeter-wave frequencies. We achieve a large electrical 3-dB bandwidth of 62 GHz at a center-frequency of 65 GHz, 12.5 dB gain, an OP1dB of 0.4 dBm, a power consumption of 58 mW and an electro—optical 3-dB bandwidth of 20 GHz. Due to the monolithic integration and performance shown, the optical bandpass receiver appears to be the prefered solution for optoelectronic oscillators, optical antenna remoting, multi-Gbps radio-over-fiber systems and other microwave photonic applications.
(16) 100 Gbps 0.8-m Wireless Link based on Fully Integrated 240 GHz IQ Transmitter and Receiver
M.H. Eissa, N. Maletic, E. Grass, R. Kraemer, D. Kissinger, A. Malignaggi
Proc. IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS 2020), 627 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/IMS30576.2020.9224101, (WORTECS)
(17) Frequency Interleaving IF Transmitter and Receiver for 240-GHz Communication in SiGe:C BiCMOS
M.H. Eissa, N. Maletic, L. Lopacinski, A. Malignaggi, G. Panic, R. Kraemer, G. Fischer, D. Kissinger
IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques 68(1), 239 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/TMTT.2019.2940018, (fast spot)
This work presents fully-integrated modular wideband frequency interleaving (FI) transmitter and receiver for high data rate communication applications. At the transmitter side three independent I/Q baseband channels are up-converted to different intermediate frequencies (IF) and then interleaved. At the receiver side the interleaved signals are down-converted and separated back to each independent channel. Single-ended inputs and outputs are utilized in order to reduce the pin count, for a more practical realization and higher potential toward future system scaling. Special design techniques are followed to minimize cross-talk and inter-modulation products between the channels. All circuits are manufactured and measured in a 130nm SiGe:C BiCMOS technology with fT / fmax = 300 / 500 GHz. The FI transmitter achieves a channel bandwidth of 2.5 GHz with less than 3 dB difference across the different channels till 15 GHz IF. It consumes 560mW from 2.5V and 3.3V supplies, and occupies a silicon area of 1.9mm2. The FI receiver achieves a baseband channel bandwidth of 2.5GHz with a 1 dB difference between the channels till the same IF. It consumes 890mW from 2.5V and 3.3V supplies, and has a chip area of 1.55mm2. The circuits are deployed in a communication experiment, firstly in a back-to-back test with direct cable connection, demonstrating a data rate of 15.6 Gb/s across the three IQ channels with a 16- QAM modulation scheme and worst case transmitter-to-receiver (Tx-to-Rx) error vector magnitude (EVM) of -18.6 dB. Then a wireless experiment is performed with a 240 GHz front-end with on-chip antenna, demonstrating a data rate of 7.8 Gb/s with QPSK modulation and worst case EVM of -8.3 dB across a wireless link of 15 cm. To the best of the authors’ knowledge this is the first work that demonstrates a wireless transmission at sub-THz carrier frequencies utilizing frequency interleaving architectures.
(18) Ultra Broadband Low-Power 70 GHz Active Balun in 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS
A. Franzese, M.H. Eissa, T. Mausolf, D. Kissinger, R. Negra, A. Malignaggi
Proc. IEEE BiCMOS and Compound Semiconductor Integrated Circuits and Technology Symposium (BCICTS 2020), (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/BCICTS48439.2020.9392960, (Taranto)
(19) A V-Band Bidirectional Amplifier-Module for Hybrid Phased-Array Systems in BiCMOS Technology
A. Gadallah, M.H. Eissa, D. Kissinger, A. Malignaggi
Proc. IEEE Radio and Wireless Week (RWW 2020), 330 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/RWS45077.2020.9050023, (HYPAA)
(20) A V-Band Miniaturized Bidirectional Switchless PALNA in SiGe:C BiCMOS Technology
A. Gadallah, M.H. Eissa, D. Kissinger, A. Malignaggi
IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters 30(8), 786 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/LMWC.2020.3005211, (HYPAA)
This work presents a V-band switchless bidirectional power amplifier-low noise amplifier (PALNA) in a SiGe:C 130nm BiCMOS technology, featuring ft/fmax of 250/340 GHz. This bidirectional PALNA architecture avoids the use of lossy transmit-receive switches by introducing a proper matching network which insures a good isolation when the amplifier is OFF and satisfies the input/output matching requirements when the amplifier is ON. On wafer measurements show that the designed PALNA has a peak small signal gain of 16.5 dB and 17 dB in Tx mode and Rx mode respectively, with a reverse isolation better than 40 dB, while maintaining wideband performance over the desired band from 57 GHz to 66 GHz. In Rx mode, the simulated noise figure (NF) is 6.5 dB over the required band. Furthermore, an output 1 dB compression point (OP1dB) of 11dBm in Tx mode and an input 1 dB compression point (IP1dB) of -20dBm in Rx mode have been achieved. The switchless PALNA occupies only 0.18mm2 and consumes 130mW/ and 36mW in Tx and Rx modes respectively.
(21) An Advanced Audio System for Stereo Reproduction Enhancement
D.A. Giliberti, F. Iseini, N. Pelagalli, A. Terenzi, S. Cecchi
Proc. 148th AES Convention 2020, 1 (2020)
(22) A 440-540-GHz Subharmonic Mixer in 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS
A. Güner, T. Mausolf, J. Wessel, D. Kissinger, K. Schmalz
IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters 30(12), 1161 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/LMWC.2020.3030315, (DFG-AGS)
A subharmonic mixer (SHM), which is measured within the RF range 450-500 GHz, is presented. The SHM uses a single-balanced topology with optimized parameters for gas spectroscopy at 440-540 GHz. The differential RF input of the mixer core is transformed to a single-ended input using a Marchand balun. The mixer is designed using a 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS technology. The mixer shows a measured conversion loss of 8.5 dB and an estimated noise figure of 33 dB at 480 GHz, using -1 dBm local oscillator (LO) power. The conversion loss was quantified to be in the range of 7.5-12.5 dB at 450-500 GHz.
(23) A Modular MIMO Millimeter-Wave Imaging Radar System for Space Applications and its Components
M. Hrobak, K. Thurn, J. Moll, M. Hossain, A. Shrestha, T. Al-Sawaf, D. Stoppel, N.G. Weimann, A. Raemer, W. Heinrich, J. Martinez, M. Vossiek, T.K. Johansen, V. Krozer, M. Resch, J. Bosse, M. Sterns, K. Loebbicke, S. Zorn, M.H. Eissa, M. Lisker, F. Herzel, R. Miesen, K. Vollmann
International Journal of Infrared and Millimeter Waves (2020)
DOI: 10.1007/s10762-020-00736-9, (MIMIRAWE)
This article presents the design and prototyping of components for a modular multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) millimeter-wave radar for space applications. A single radar panel consists of 8 transmitters (TX) and 8 receivers (RX), which can be placed several times on the satellite to realize application-specific radar apertures and hence different cross-range resolutions. The radar chirp signals are generated by SiGe:C BiCMOS direct-digital-synthesizers (DDS) in the frequency range of 1 to 10.5GHz with a chirp repetition rate of < 1μs within each TX and RX. The latter allows for easy interfaces in the MHz range in between the TX/RX units and therefore optimized 2-D sparse antenna arrays with rather large distances in between the TX/RX antennas. Furthermore, this allows for ideally linear frequency modulated continuous-waveforms (FMCW) in conjunction with phase-shift-keying (PSK) radar signals and enables simultaneous operation of all TX when code division multiplex (CDMA) modulation schemes are applied. Comparably low complexity of the TX/RX units has been achieved by applying straightforward frequency plans to signal generation and detection but comes with challenging requirements for the individual active and passive components. Tackled by thin film technology on alumina and the recently developed SiGe and InP semiconductor technologies, which have been further optimized in terms of process maturity and space qualification. Upconversion and downconversion to and from 85 to 94.5GHz are performed by double balanced Gilbert mixers realized with InP double heterojunction bipolar transistor technology (DHBT) and 42-GHz local oscillator signals from SiGe:C BiCMOS VCO synthesizer using phase-locked-loops (PLL). InP DHBT power amplifiers and low-noise amplifiers allow for output power levels of 15dBm and > 30dB gain with noise figure values of 9dB, respectively. The MIMO radar utilizes patch antenna arrays on organic multilayer printed circuit boards (PCB) with 18dBi gain and 18º half power beamwidth (HPBW). Generation of power supply and control signals, analog-to-digital conversion (ADC), and radar signal processing are provided centrally to each panel. The radar supports detection and tracking of satellites in distances up to 1000m and image generation up to 20m, which is required to support orbital maneuvers like satellite rendezvous and docking for non-cooperative satellites.
(24) Broadband 110 - 170 GHz True Time Delay Circuit in a 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS Technology
A. Karakuzulu, M.H. Eissa, D. Kissinger, A. Malignaggi
Proc. IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS 2020), 775 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/IMS30576.2020.9223843, (Taranto)
(25) A 311.6 GHz Phase-Locked Loop in 0.13 μm SiGe BiCMOS Process with –90 dBc/Hz In-Band Phase Noise
Y. Liang, C.C. Boon, Y. Dong, Q. Chen, Z. Liu, C. Li, T. Mausolf, D. Kissinger, Y. Wang, H.J. Ng
Proc. IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS 2020), 1133 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/IMS30576.2020.9224047
(26) 320 GHz On-Chip Circularly-Polarized Antenna Array Realized with 0.13 μm BiCMOS Technology
W. Lin, R. Ziolkowski, W. Ahmad, Y. Yang, L. Yuan, H.J. Ng, Y. Wang, D. Kissinger
Proc. IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation (APS 2020), 1467 (2020)
(27) 5G and Beyond: Multi Baseband PSSS Architecture for 100 Gbps Wireless Communication
L. Lopacinski, M.H. Eissa, J. Gutierrez Teran, E. Grass
Proc. Workshop on Microwave Theory and Techniques in Wireless Communications (MTTW 2020), 102 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/MTTW51045.2020.9245066, (5G-COMPLETE)
(28) 5G and Beyond: Multi Baseband PSSS Architecture for 100 Gbps Wireless Communication
L. Lopacinski, M.H. Eissa, J. Gutierrez Teran, E. Grass
Proc. Workshop on Microwave Theory and Techniques in Wireless Communications (MTTW 2020), 102 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/MTTW51045.2020.9245066, (PSSS-FEC)
(29) Performance Investigation of 2-GBaud QAMs using Fully-Integrated SiGe Chipset at 240-GHz
N. Maletic, M.H. Eissa, V. Sark, A. Malignaggi, E. Grass
Proc. Workshop on Microwave Theory and Techniques in Wireless Communications (MTTW 2020), 108 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/MTTW51045.2020.9245044, (WORTECS)
(30) Ridge Gap Waveguide Based Liquid Crystal Phase Shifter
M. Nickel, A. Jimenez-Saez, P. Agrawal, A. Gadallah, A. Malignaggi, C. Schuster, R. Reese, H. Tesmer, E. Polat, D. Wang, P. Schumacher, R. Jakoby, D. Kissinger, H. Manue
IEEE Access 8, 77833 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2989547, (HYPAA)
In this paper, the gap waveguide technology is examined for packaging liquid crystal (LC) in tunable microwave devices. For this purpose, a line based passive phase shifter is designed and implemented in a ridge gap waveguide (RGW) topology and filled with LC serving as a functional material. The inherent direct current (DC) decoupling property of gap waveguides is used to utilize the waveguide surroundings as biasing electrodes for tuning the LC. The bed of nails structure of the RGW exhibits an E-field suppression of 76 dB in simulation, forming a completely shielded device. The phase shifter shows a maximum figure of merit (FoM) of 70°/dB from 20 GHz to 30 GHz with a differential phase shift of 387° at 25 GHz. The insertion loss ranges from 3.5 dB to 5.5 dB depending on the applied biasing voltage of 0V to 60 V.
(31) Modular Baseband Processing for mm-Wave and THz Communication
G. Panic, M.H. Eissa, L. Lopacinski, N. Maletic, R. Kraemer
Proc. 8th Small Systems Simulation Symposium (SSSS 2020), 49 (2020)
(6GKom)
(32) SiGe Sub-THz VCOs Design Approach for Imaging Applications
L. Pantoli, H. Bello, G. Leuzzi, H.J. Ng, D. Kissinger
Proc. International Workshop on Integrated Nonlinear Microwave and Millimetre-Wave Circuits (INMMiC 2020), 1 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/INMMiC46721.2020.9160077
(33) A Compact, Low-Power and Constant Output Power 330 GHz Voltage-Controlled Oscillator in 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS
L. Pantoli, H. Bello, H.J. Ng, D. Kissinger, G. Leuzzi
International Journal of Infrared and Millimeter Waves 41, 796 (2020)
DOI: 10.1007/s10762-020-00712-3
Nowadays, terahertz and sub-terahertz frequencies are experiencing a significant interest from both academic and industrial world, since they offer a wide and unused spectrum available for different applications, as high-throughput communications, efficient imaging systems and medical uses. In this work an innovative sub-THz voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) realized with a 130-nm SiGe process is proposed and described in detail. The technology is the SG13G2 bipolar-complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (BiCMOS) provided by IHP foundry. The signal source is conceived for high-resolution THz imaging camera; at design level it has been defined with a push-push architecture and adopts an oscillator core based on a Colpitts topology. State-of-the-art performance has been obtained thanks to the proposed design choices that are uncommon at these frequencies, as for instance, the VCO output taken from the common base node, the use of varactors in anti-series connection and the possibility to define a double output at different harmonic frequencies. These, as well as other innovative expedients, allow to simplify the integration at system level and to achieve compact sizes, very low power consumption and almost constant output power level over the full tuning bandwidth. A relative tuning range of about 5.5% has been obtained around a central frequency of 330 GHz, while the output power is about − 8 dBm with a maximum variation of 0.4 dB. Also the phase noise of − 110 dBc/Hz at 10 MHz offset is very promising. Measurements over different chip samples demonstrate the robustness of the proposed solution and the reliability of the design.
(34) A Compact Circular Multipass Cell for Millimeter-Wave/Terahertz Gas Spectroscopy
N. Rothbart, K. Schmalz, H.-W. Hübers
IEEE Transactions on Terahertz Science and Technology 10(1), 9 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/TTHZ.2019.2950123, (DFG-AGS)
Millimeter-wave/Terahertz (mmW/THz) spectroscopy is a promising tool for gas sensing applications, such as breath analysis or the detection of toxic chemicals, which require compact portable systems. Long gas cells that are needed for high sensitivities are often bulky and limit the portability of the system. We present a compact mmW/THz circular multipass gas cell with an optical path length of 1.9 m and an outer diameter of only 21.5 cm. The beam is refocused at each internal reflection as a consequence of the large divergence of the mmW/THz beams. We determined the losses of the cell to about 3 dB around 250 GHz and demonstrated sensitive gas spectroscopy with a detection limit of 14 ppm/√Hz for acetaldehyde in a mixture with methanol.
(35) 56 GBaud O-Band Transmission using a Photonic BiCMOS Coherent Receiver
P.M. Seiler, A. Peczek, G. Winzer, K. Voigt, St. Lischke, A. Fatemi, L. Zimmermann
46th European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC 2020), (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/ECOC48923.2020.9333218, (PEARLS)
(36) Accurate and Process-Tolerant Resistive Load
B. Sütbas, E. Ozbay, A. Atalar
IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques 68(7), 2495 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/TMTT.2020.2986207
Resistive terminations cannot preserve high-quality matching at high frequencies due to the parasitic effects of the nonideal resistor. Moreover, resistance values of the termination resistors in integrated circuits are subject to process variations. Therefore, it is difficult to obtain accurate and process-tolerant terminations that are crucial for high performance in microwave circuits.We propose a new resistive network that compensates for the high-frequency parasitic effects of the resistors to improve the bandwidth of the termination. In addition to maintaining accuracy, the presented network provides tolerance to variation in the resistor values. The accuracy and tolerance of the proposed structure is analytically shown and experimentally verified by three test structures at the X-band fabricated on a GaN technology. The experimental results show that a small size and wideband 50-Ω load with a return loss better than 25 dB can be obtained, while the resistor value changes ±30%.
(37) Fault Tolerant Platform for Communication and Distance Measurement in Highly Automated Driving
R.T. Syed, M. Ulbricht, W. Ahmad, H.J. Ng, V. Sark, R. Hasan, M. Krstic
Proc. 8th International Conference on Cyber-Physical Systems and Internet-of-Things (CPS & IoT 2020), 673 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/MECO49872.2020.9134189, (EMPHASE)
(38) A Cascadable Integrated Bistatic Six-Port Transceiver at 60 GHz in a 130-nm BiCMOS Technology for SIMO-Radar Applications
M. Voelkel, St. Pechmann, M.H. Eissa, D. Kissinger, R. Weigel, A. Hagelauer
Proc. IEEE Asia-Pacific Microwave Conference (APMC 2019), 622 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/APMC46564.2019.9038421
(39) An Integrated Bistatic 4TX/4RX Six-Port MIMO-Transceiver at 60 GHz in a 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS Technology for Radar Applications
M. Voelkel, S. Pechmann, H.J. Ng, D. Kissinger, R. Weigel, A. Hagelauer
Proc. IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS 2020), 1219 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/IMS30576.2020.9224001
(40) 480-GHz Sensor with Subharmonic Mixer and Integrated Transducer in a 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS Technology
D. Wang, M.H. Eissa, K. Schmalz, T. Kämpfe, D. Kissinger
IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters 30(9), 908 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/LMWC.2020.3013317, (DFG-THz LoC)
A 480-GHz sensor consists of signal stimulus and the transducer element as well as a subharmonic mixer in a 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS technology is reported. It features a mixer first architecture based on down-conversion subharmonic mixer, an local oscillator (LO) chain at 240-GHz using a frequency doubler with variable-gain characterization, and a 480 GHz RF chain, making the fully integrated 480-GHz receiver possible. In a frequency range of 210–270 GHz at a maximum of 1.5-V supply offset, the LO chain has a 14-dB power-level variation, comprising with a 120-GHz frequency quadrupler, a power amplifier, and a variable frequency doubler. The proposed subharmonic receiver is driven by the RF and LO chainwith a multipl ier factor of 16 and 8, respectively. In this way, 480-GHz signal is generated, fed through the transducer, and hetero-mixed at subharmonic mixer. The measured output power difference is adjustable over 8 dB. Along with the intermediate frequency (IF) bandwidth of 20 GHz, the wide RF bandwidth makes it suitable for submillimetre-wave receiver-based dielectric spectroscopy applications. The chip occupies an area of 2.2 mm2 and consumes 290 mW.
(41) 240-GHz Reflectometer with Integrated Transducer for Dielectric Spectroscopy in a 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS Technology
D. Wang, M.H. Eissa, K. Schmalz, T. Kämpfe, D. Kissinger
Proc. IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS 2020), 1129 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/IMS30576.2020.9223849
(42) Microwave and Millimeter Wave Sensors for Industrial, Scientific and Medical Applications in BiCMOS Technology
J. Wessel, K. Schmalz, R.K. Yadav, P.S. Zarrin, F.I. Jamal, D. Wang, G. Fischer
Proc. IEEE International Symposium on Radio-Frequency Integration Technology (RFIT 2020), 290 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/RFIT49453.2020.9226229, (Nexgen)
(43) Microwave and Millimeter Wave Sensors for Industrial, Scientific and Medical Applications in BiCMOS Technology
J. Wessel, K. Schmalz, R.K. Yadav, P.S. Zarrin, F.I. Jamal, D. Wang, G. Fischer
Proc. IEEE International Symposium on Radio-Frequency Integration Technology (RFIT 2020), 290 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/RFIT49453.2020.9226229, (DFG-THz LoC)
(44) Microwave and Millimeter Wave Sensors for Industrial, Scientific and Medical Applications in BiCMOS Technology
J. Wessel, K. Schmalz, R.K. Yadav, P.S. Zarrin, F.I. Jamal, D. Wang, G. Fischer
Proc. IEEE International Symposium on Radio-Frequency Integration Technology (RFIT 2020), 290 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/RFIT49453.2020.9226229, (PlaqueCharM)
(45) Microwave and Millimeter Wave Sensors for Industrial, Scientific and Medical Applications in BiCMOS Technology
J. Wessel, K. Schmalz, R.K. Yadav, P.S. Zarrin, F.I. Jamal, D. Wang, G. Fischer
Proc. IEEE International Symposium on Radio-Frequency Integration Technology (RFIT 2020), 290 (2020)
DOI: 10.1109/RFIT49453.2020.9226229, (BioBic)
