Millimeter-Wave Concurrent Dual-Band BiCMOS RFIC Front-End Module for Communication and Sensing Systems
Abstract
This dissertation presents new circuit architectures and techniques for improving several key performances of BiCMOS RFIC building blocks that are used in wireless communication and sensing systems operating at millimeter-wave frequencies. The developed circuits and front-end module can be employed in concurrent dual-band transceivers for communication and sensing systems such as phased array and RFID systems.
New 0.18-μm CMOS dual-bandpass filtering single-pole double-throw (SPDT) and transmit/receive (T/R) switches have been developed, and they operate in two different frequency bands centered at around 40 and 60 GHz (Design 1) and 24 and 60 GHz (Designs 2, 3 and 4). Design 1 is a concurrent dual-bandpass filtering T/R switch consisting of three SPDT switches based on a 3rd order band-pass filter with shunt nMOS transistors as the switching function. Design 2 is a 24/60-GHz concurrent dual-bandpass T/R switch consisting of dual-band λ/4 LC networks and resonators with shunt nMOS transistors as the switching function. Design 3 is a dual-band SPDT and T/R switches, which are capable of band-pass filtering as well as separate and concurrent switching operations in single/dual-band and transmission/reception. These components can act as diplexers with switching functions. Design 4 is a wideband concurrent dual-band SPDT switch with integrated dual-bandpass filtering, which is configured to make it approximately equivalent to a dual-band resonator in the on-state operation.
A fully integrated 24/60-GHz concurrent dual-band LNA utilizing a dual-band LC circuit has been proposed. The LNA is based on a two-stage cascode topology with inductive degeneration. The dual-band LC circuit has the quarter-wavelength characteristic at two different frequencies, and it shows the dual pass-band and single stop-band characteristics when it is connected to the ground in shunt. Due to the cancellation of the stop-band signal and low-pass response by the LC circuit connected to the cascode nodes of the 1st and 2nd stages in the LNA, the LNA presents high stop-band rejection and good gain balance at 24 and 60 GHz.
A concurrent dual-band front-end module (FEM) consisting of a 24/60-GHz dual-band antenna, a five-port T/R switch, two LNAs and one PA has been proposed. The FEM can be employed in systems with dual-polarization, for instance, phased array and RFID reader systems.
Citation
Um, Youngman (2017). Millimeter-Wave Concurrent Dual-Band BiCMOS RFIC Front-End Module for Communication and Sensing Systems. Doctoral dissertation, Texas A & M University. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /161500.