Abstract and Presentation-Millimeter-wave and Terahertz Integrated Circuits in Silicon Technologies: Challenges and Solutions

Sabanci University Microelectronics Workshop

http://sumicro.sabanciuniv.edu/payam-heydari

Payam Heydari

The vastly under-utilized spectrum across millimeter-wave (mm-wave) and terahertz (THz) bands has generated great deal of excitement to investigate futuristic systems for 10+ gigabit short-range wireless as well as wideband sensing/imaging applications. Simply put, the shorter wavelength associated with the mm-wave/THz band  is appealing since the physical dimensions of the antenna and associated electronics are reduced in size, making it possible to design multi-antenna structures to achieve beamforming, spatial diversity and multiplexing.

On the imaging applications front, THz imaging is considered to be one of the emerging technologies. Electromagnetic wave at these frequencies can pass through non-conducting materials. Meanwhile, many materials have a fingerprint spectrum at millimeter-wave/THz frequency range, making it possible to be used in non-ionized imaging and material spectroscopy. On the radar/sensing and communications front, the availability of broad unlicensed frequency spectrum across the millimeter-wave/THz frequency range unfolds new ideas on super-precise sensing at micrometer-level and multi-10-gigabit instant wireless access at the centimeter-level spacing between transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX).

Owing to aggressive scaling in feature size and device f_T/f_max, nanoscale (Bi)CMOS technology potentially enables integration of sophisticated systems at THz frequency range, once only be implemented in compound III-IV semiconductor technologies.

This talk will give a brief overview of recent advances in designing silicon-based integrated circuits will be capable of operating close to the maximum operation limits of silicon-based transistors. The talk then will discuss two case studies designed in UCI’s Nanoscale Communication Integrated Circuits (NCIC) Labs; namely, the world’s highest fundamental frequency fully differential transceiver in CMOS at 210 GHz, and the world’s highest frequency PLL-based Synthesizer in Silicon at 300GHz with a wide tuning range.  

Payam Heydari

Distinguished Professor

Nanoscale Communication Integrated Circuits (NCIC) Labs

Dept. of EECS, University of California

Irvine, CA 92697-2625

URL:  http://newport.eecs.uci.edu/~payam

Testing Automotive Radar Brings mm-Wave Challenges

My Note: Thanks to Virginia Diodes for sharing this article on their facebook page.

Automotive radar systems at 77 GHz are bringing a great deal of safety functions to lower-costing vehicles, but their manufacturers and suppliers are in need of cost-effective measurement solutions.

Oct. 15, 2013 Jack Browne

http://mwrf.com/test-amp-measurement-analyzers/testing-automotive-radar-brings-mm-wave-challenges?page=1

Automotive applications are requiring increased use of RF/microwave frequency bands, from low RF signals through millimeter-wave frequencies at 77 GHz. As these high-frequency signals become more integral parts of the worldwide driving experience, effective test solutions become more critical for designers developing new automotive RF/microwave circuits, as well as production facilities seeking efficient methods for verifying the performance of these added circuits. While lower-frequency testers are in abundance, and automotive applications employ a wide range of wireless frequencies—including remote keyless entry (RKE) systems at 433 and 868 MHz—a growing concern in automotive markets is for the accurate and cost-effective testing of 77-GHz automotive radar systems. This interest stems from the fact that historically, measurement equipment at such high frequencies has neither been commonplace nor cost-effective.
A number of different automotive radar-based safety applications make use of frequencies from 76 to 77 GHz, for adaptive cruise control (ACC), blind-spot detection (BSD), emergency braking, forward collision warning (FCW), and rear collision protection (RCP). For example, in a collision warning system, an automotive radar sensor can detect and track objects within the range of the transmitted and returned radar signals, automatically adjusting a vehicle’s speed and distance in accordance with the detected targets. Different systems can provide a warning of a potential collision ahead and also initiate procedures leading to emergency braking as required.
This millimeter-wave frequency band is not the only frequency range currently in use for automotive radar systems. A “temporary” frequency band has also been established at 24 GHz for short-term automotive electronics systems. Unfortunately, this band is already occupied by other electronic devices, including microwave radios, which add to the congestion faced by radar systems within this band (and with radar signals becoming interference for the existing microwave radio devices). The band has been deemed as “temporary” for such applications as automotive radar because it will be closed to those devices when the signal levels become too dense at 24 GHz.
This band was made available in Europe to European Union (EU) members by means of European Commission Decision 2005/50/EC. Said regulation also sets requirements for automatic deactivation devices for 24-GHz when too close to existing systems (such as radio astronomy sites), and also sets guidelines for transition to a more permanent frequency band. In Europe, the “permanent” band for automotive radar service has been allocated at 79 GHz, per European Commission Decision 2004/545/EC, which requires that this band to be made available in all EU member states.
The band from 76 to 77 GHz had been allocated to the Radio Astronomy Service (RAS) in the US, but the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) made amendments to sections of its allocations and regulations, allowing automotive radar system in that frequency band. The modifications also impacted fixed radar applications in the 76-to-77-GHz band at airport locations, using fixed radar systems to detect foreign object debris (FOD) on runways and monitor aircraft traffic as well as service vehicles on taxiways and other airport vehicle service areas that have no public access. In Europe, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI; www.etsi.org) sets similar guidelines for radar systems at 24 and 77 GHz.
Both system and components suppliers have supported the different automotive frequency bands. TRW Automotive, for example, has developed automotive radar system solutions at 24 GHz (model AC100) for ACC and FCW applications as well as at 77 GHz (model AC3). Numerous semiconductor suppliers have enjoyed business in supplying transceiver solutions for 77-GHz automotive radar systems, including Texas Instruments with its model MRD2001 automotive radar chip set. Devices in the chip set are housed in low-loss packaging (usable through 100 GHz) which simplifies assembly for automotive manufacturers and is scalable to 4 transmit channels and 12 receive channels so that a single radar system can provide radar beams across a wide field of view for near-field, mid-field, and far-field applications.
Freescale Semiconductor has used its silicon-germanium (SiGe) BiCMOS semiconductor process as the basis for its Xtrinsic 77-GHz automotive radar semiconductor devices. And TriQuint Semiconductor supports the long- and medium-range automotive radar market with a wide portfolio of 77 GHz MMICs for front-end applications such as ACC and FCW systems. Additional semiconductor and component suppliers include Altera, Analog Devices, Fujitsu, Infineon, Millitech, NXP Semiconductors, and Skyworks Solutions.

Terahertz technology: Seeing more with less

Terahertz radiation can penetrate materials such as a paper envelope and reveal the contents (left) in an accurate image (right). Credit: 2013 A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics

http://phys.org/news/2013-05-terahertz-technology.html#jCp
Terahertz technology is an emerging field that promises to improve a host of useful applications, ranging from passenger scanning at airports to huge digital data transfers. Terahertz radiation sits between the frequency bands of microwaves and infrared radiation, and it can easily penetrate many materials, including biological tissue. The energy carried by terahertz radiation is low enough to pose no risk to the subject or object under investigation

Before terahertz technology can take off on a large scale, however, developers need new kinds of devices that can send and receive radiation in this frequency range. Worldwide, electronic engineers are developing such devices. Now, Sanming Hu and co-workers from the A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics (IME), Singapore, have designed novel circuits and antennas for terahertz radiation and efficiently integrated these components into a transmitter–receiver unit on a single chip. Measuring just a few millimeters across, this area is substantially smaller than the size of current commercial devices. As such, it represents an important step towards the development of practical terahertz technologies.

Hu and his co-workers based their terahertz design on a fabrication technology known as BiCMOS, which enables full integration of devices on a single chip of only a few cubic millimeters in size. "Currently, commercial products for terahertz technologies use discrete modules that are assembled into a device," explains Hu. These module-based devices tend to be considerably more bulky than fully integrated systems.

"In a commercial terahertz transmitter–receiver unit, the central module alone measures typically around 190 by 80 by 65 millimeters, which is roughly 1 million cubic millimeters," says Hu. The novel design of Hu's team unites the essential components of a terahertz device in a smaller two-dimensional area of just a few millimeters along each side. According to Hu and his co-workers, this compact device paves the way towards the mass production of a fully integrated terahertz system.

As the next step, the team will use the IME's cutting-edge technologies to build more complex structures composed of several two-dimensional layers, which will be based on their new designs. Although the team is not pursuing any specific applications, their devices potentially open up a wide range of possibilities. These include wireless short-range transfers of data sets—the content of a Blu-ray disc could be sent in as little as a few seconds, for example—high-resolution biosensing, risk-free screening of patients and passengers, and see-through-envelope imaging (see image at top).

More information: Hu, S. et al. A SiGe BiCMOS transmitter/receiver chipset with on-chip SIW antennas for terahertz applications. IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits 47, 2654–2664 (2012). ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?arnumber=6301781