The Millimeter-Wave & THz Sensor Circuits (MMTS) Group within the Circuit Design Department and RF Circuits Program specializes in the design and development of integrated circuits (ICs) and systems for millimeter-wave and sub-terahertz (sub-THz) sensors.
Using state-of-the-art SiGe BiCMOS and silicon interposer processes, we develop compact, high-performance, and scalable ICs for the next-generation of sensory systems which range from millimeter-wave frequencies up to 1.1 THz. We focus on demonstrating cutting-edge circuits and performance, including area, bandwidth, energy efficiency, output power, and noise, through developing novel circuit design techniques and exploiting the most advanced in-house technologies and modules.
The group explores emerging applications in higher frequency bands and through advanced integration technologies. It develops fully integrated, complex, multi-channel transceiver ICs with on-chip antennas, as well as frontend boards, to create modular and reusable solutions.
We also pursue heterogeneous design and integration, combining our in-house capabilities with the specific advantages of III-V technologies, such as InP HBTs and InGaAs mHEMTs. Through this approach, we address the requirements of future compact, high-performance sensors.
Research Relevance and Application Areas
Our research bridges the gap between semiconductor technologies and real-world industrial and societal needs. Our key application areas include industry, biomedicine, space, telecommunications, and test and measurement. We develop high-resolution radar and imaging platforms, scalable multi-mode and multi-band sensors, and emerging sub-THz chipsets. These technologies provide the hardware for robust, compact, adaptable, non-contact, high-precision sensing systems.
We develop mm-wave and sub-THz transceiver circuits and front-ends for radar, imaging, and integrated sensing and communication. Our work also covers permittivity sensors and lab-on-chip solutions for biomedical applications, spectroscopy chipsets for research and space applications, and energy-efficient modules for healthcare monitoring systems. We also investigate the scalability, resilience, and robustness of next-generation sensor systems.
Main Research Objectives
Radar and Imaging Systems
Develop multi-band multi-mode radar sensor platforms with high resolution.
Realize scalable mm-wave & sub-THz imaging radar systems.
Implement 3D-scaled sensing arrays using in-house interposer technology.
Spectroscopy and Biomedical Systems
Develop spectroscopy ICs reaching up to 1.1 THz for space applications.
Integrate micro-fluidics, permittivity sensors, and readout electronics for portable lab-on-chip solutions.
Advance multi-band spectroscopy ICs (e.g., 220–270 GHz and 440–540 GHz) for biomedical analysis.
Low-Power and Energy-Efficient Architectures
Prioritize low-supply low-power designs at relatively lower frequency bands (e.g. 60 GHz and 120 GHz transceivers) for battery-operated applications.
Implement energy-efficient 30/40-GHz wide-tuning-range frequency synthesizers and sub-harmonically injection-locked oscillators.
Resilience and Heterogeneous Integration
Develop resilient and reliable MIMO transceivers with built-in self-calibration and self-test mechanisms.
Advance heterogeneous integration of SiGe, III-V, and interposer platforms to combine performance advantages and enable scalability.
Research Areas
Millimeter-Wave and Sub-THz Transceiver Circuits
This research area investigates the development and characterization of scalable high-performance mm-wave and sub-THz transceiver ICs, high-frequency key building blocks (LNAs, PAs, mixers), and antennas-on-chip for radar and imaging systems.
Sub-THz and THz Spectroscopy Circuits
This research area is focused on enabling spectroscopy IC solutions operating up to 1.1 THz with antenna/lens co-design for material characterization, space exploration, and medical gas analysis.
RF to Millimeter-Wave Biosensors
This research area addresses complex permittivity and nearfield detection operating from Ka-band up to sub-THz bands for biological tissue characterization and non-invasive health monitoring.
ISAC & Heterogeneous Integration
This research area explores next-generation integrated sensing and communication architectures and multi-material integration through interposers for high-density scaling and high performance.
