Dual-Polarized Antenna Arrays with CMOS Power Amplifiers for System-in-Package Integration at W-Band

What is it about?

The article is exploring the possibilities to build a next generation low-cost communication system with data rates of 100 Gbit/s. In context of this article the front-end part is investigated. It consists of power amplifier, transition, and antenna and is implemented as an active antenna array. The beam is steerable and two polarization states are used in a multiplex. A link budget analysis is conducted and shows how to manage the requirements of such a system with feasibility for mass-market applications. Furthermore, critical system components are investigated and presented. This applies to a transformer coupled power amplifier (PA) in 40 nm bulk CMOS. It shows saturated output power of more than 10 dBm and power-added-efficiency of more than 10 % over the full W-band. The performance of microstrip-to-waveguide transitions is shown exemplarily as an important part of the active antenna as it interfaces active circuitry and antenna in a polymer-and-metal process. The transition test design shows less than 0.9 dB insertion loss and more than 12 dB return loss for the differential transition over the full W-band.

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Why is it important?

The article is exploring the possibilities to build a next generation low-cost communication system with data rates of 100 Gbit/s. It shows how to reach such a high data rate with a feasible system approach and is useful to build an overall impression of such a system and it's usage. For this reason, the analysis starts with performance goals of possible mass-market applications. Link budget analyses of the front-end together with performance analyses of two of its major performance contributors prove feasibility of the system.

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