Ultra-wideband signal generation at 300 GHz in a SiGe BiCMOS technology

In this paper an ultra high bandwidth signal generation MMIC is presented. Based on an fundamental oscillator working at 75 GHz followed by a two stage frequency quadrupler, an output frequency range from 231.2–309.1 GHz is achieved, resulting in an overall tuning range of almost 78 GHz. The maximum output power of the transmitter MMIC is −2.8 dBm with a power variation of 7.5 dB over the complete 78 GHz tuning range. In combination with a low phase noise of approx. −75 dBc/Hz @ 1 MHz offset of the 300 GHz output signal, various high resolution distance measurements or imaging applications especially in the field of industrial quality assurance or in-line process monitoring become possible. With a power consumption of the complete MMIC of 700 mW at a single supply voltage of 5 V the realization of low-power sensors for industrial use can be achieved. The use of the well-established B11HFC SiGe BiCMOS technology provided by Infineon Technologies AG allows a reliable and cost-effective production as well.