A V-band Integrated Receiver Front-End Based on 0.15 μm GaAs pHEMT Process for Passive Millimeter-wave Imaging

The design, analysis, implementation and measurement of an integrated V-band receiver front-end based on 0.15 μm GaAs pHEMT process are presented in this paper. The front-end chip uses the super-heterodyne topology which consists of a low noise amplifier, an image reject mixer, and a multiply-by-four (×4) LO chain. In order to minimize the power consumed by LO chain, an active single-ended mixer is designed which requires extremely low LO power of -5 dBm. Meanwhile, the effect of signal coupling in the integrated chip is analyzed and solutions are proposed. By introducing appropriate filters into the circuit and optimizing the overall layout, the imbalance of in-phase and quadrature signals caused by unwanted coupling can be effectively mitigated, thus enhancing the image rejection of the chip. Probe and module tests are applied to the receiver front-end, and the measurement results reveal that the chip achieves -3 ± 0.7 dB conversion gain, 7 dB noise figure and more than 25 dB image rejection ratio in the RF frequency range of 52-56 GHz. Only one supply voltage of 3 V is required for the chip, and total power consumption is 312 mW. Moreover, with a continuously adjustable phase control of 360° and very broadband IF characteristics, the front-end chip is suitable for passive millimeter-wave imaging applications.

[1]  Xiaojun Bi,et al.  An Interstage-Reflectionless V-Band Radiometer With Capacitor-Reused Absorptive Matching in 0.13-μm SiGe BiCMOS , 2021, IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Regular Papers.

[2]  Hua Xu,et al.  A 32–40 GHz 4-Channel transceiver with 6-bit amplitude and phase control , 2021 .

[3]  Yuan Gao,et al.  A Ka-Band T/R Chip in 0.15μm PHEMT Technology , 2021, 2021 IEEE 6th International Conference on Computer and Communication Systems (ICCCS).

[4]  Jeng‐Han Tsai,et al.  A 0.7-mW V-Band Transformer-Based Positive- Feedback Receiver Front-End in a 65-nm CMOS , 2020, IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters.

[5]  John D. Cressler,et al.  A V-Band SiGe Image-Reject Receiver Front-End for Atmospheric Remote Sensing , 2018, 2018 IEEE BiCMOS and Compound Semiconductor Integrated Circuits and Technology Symposium (BCICTS).

[6]  Jiongjiong Mo,et al.  A Ka-band low power consumption MMIC core chip for T/R modules , 2018, AEU - International Journal of Electronics and Communications.

[7]  Alex Zamora,et al.  A Low-Power 670-GHz InP HEMT Receiver , 2016, IEEE Transactions on Terahertz Science and Technology.

[8]  Tao Wang,et al.  A 90-nm CMOS V-Band Low-Power Image-Reject Receiver Front-End With High-Speed Auto-Wake-Up and Gain Controls , 2016, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques.

[9]  Jian Zhang,et al.  A V-band radiometer MMIC for geostationary atmospheric , 2015, 2015 IEEE International Wireless Symposium (IWS 2015).

[10]  Vipul Jain,et al.  Design and Analysis of a W-Band SiGe Direct-Detection-Based Passive Imaging Receiver , 2011, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits.

[11]  Yi-Jan Emery Chen,et al.  A Ka-Band Low Noise Amplifier Using Forward Combining Technique , 2010, IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters.

[12]  Yo-Shen Lin,et al.  Q-Band GaAs Bandpass Filter Designs for ALMA Band-1 , 2009, IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters.

[13]  R. N. Anderton,et al.  Millimeter-Wave and Submillimeter-Wave Imaging for Security and Surveillance , 2007, Proceedings of the IEEE.

[14]  Mike C. Kemp,et al.  Detecting hidden objects: Security imaging using millimetre-waves and terahertz , 2007, 2007 IEEE Conference on Advanced Video and Signal Based Surveillance.

[15]  Christian Fager,et al.  60 GHz Single-Chip Front-End MMICs and Systems for Multi-Gb/s Wireless Communication , 2007, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits.

[16]  S.E. Gunnarsson,et al.  Highly integrated 60 GHz transmitter and receiver MMICs in a GaAs pHEMT technology , 2005, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits.

[17]  L. Yujiri,et al.  Passive Millimeter Wave Imaging , 2003, 2006 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium Digest.

[18]  Joy Laskar,et al.  K-band receiver front-ends in a GaAs metamorphic HEMT process , 2001 .

[19]  Dennis Lo,et al.  Passive millimeter-wave camera , 1997, Defense, Security, and Sensing.

[20]  Behzad Razavi,et al.  Design considerations for direct-conversion receivers , 1997 .

[21]  E.H. Armstrong,et al.  The Super-Heterodyne-Its Origin, Development, and Some Recent Improvements , 1924, Proceedings of the Institute of Radio Engineers.

[22]  Jungang Miao,et al.  Calibration of Visibility Samples for Real-Time Passive Millimeter Wave Imaging , 2021, IEEE Access.

[23]  Zhiqun Li,et al.  A 0.1–1 GHz low power RF receiver front-end with noise cancellation technique for WSN applications , 2018 .

[24]  Cheng Zheng,et al.  INITIAL RESULTS OF A PASSIVE MILLIMETER- WAVE IMAGER USED FOR CONCEALED WEAPON DETECTION BHU-2D-U , 2013 .