A superheterodyne 300 GHz receiver and transmitter chip set with high bandwidth and efficiency performance

Abstract

This paper presents a superheterodyne receiver and transmitter chip set with high bandwidth and efficiency suitable for superheterodyne communication systems. The operating range for the intermediate frequency is optimized for 60–90 GHz but extends beyond this frequency range. A radio frequency range from 285 and 325 GHz is achieved with the chip set introduced here. This paper presents continuous-wave on-wafer measurements for the receiver and transmitter. In the measurements, the transmitter achieves an output-referred 1 dB compression point of 0 dBm across the entire IF range. The conversion gain of the transmitter is measured to be 15 dB but can be adjusted between 5 and 20 dB. The CG of the receiver was measured to be over 12 dB within an IF range of 60–90 GHz. A receiver noise figure of 8 dB was measured in a waveguide package. The front-ends were produced in 35nm indium gallium arsenide metamorphic high electron mobility transistor technology.