A 246 GHz Hetero-Integrated Frequency Source in InP-on-BiCMOS Technology

A 246 GHz source in InP-on-BiCMOS technology is presented. It consists of a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) in BiCMOS technology and a frequency tripler in transferred-substrate InP-HBT technology, which is integrated on top of the BiCMOS MMIC in a wafer-level bonding process. The VCO operates at 82 GHz with 6 dBm output power and the combined circuit delivers -10 dBm at 246 GHz, with a phase noise of -87 dBc/Hz at 2 MHz offset. To the knowledge of the authors, this is the first hetero-integrated signal source in this frequency range reported so far. The results illustrate the potential of the hetero integrated process for sub-mm-wave frequencies.