X-band phased array development on teflon laminates with CMOS RFIC receivers

We present the development of an 8-channel X-band microstrip phased array receiver with beam-scan capability of +/-45 degrees in the azimuth plane. Two 0.13 μm CMOS RFIC chips are integrated directly on the laminates for the array feed network, with each chip comprising of a 4-way power combiner network and 4 channels of RF front-end. Each RF-front-end consists of an LNA, a VGA and a phase shifter, and the total chip size is 2.9 by 2.5 mm². The design center frequency and bandwidth is 9.2 GHz and 75 MHz, respectively. An aperture coupled microstrip antenna is used for the basic radiating element, and measured response for the microstrip element deviates from the simulated response by 1.2 %.