Silicon Integrated Broadband Dual Frequency Comb-based Microwave Detector for Material Characterization

This article presents a miniaturized CMOS integrated microwave detector based on dual frequency-comb for broadband sensing spectroscopy. The LO-free detector chip generates two frequency combs with a tunable spacing, and includes Gaussian second derivative pulse generator, two on-chip slotted slow-wave coplanar waveguide (S-CPW) planar transmission line sensor units, and a broadband heterodyne mixer to generate the output mapped from microwave frequencies to low frequencies which represents the properties of the material under test (MUT). The proposed microwave detector fabricated in TSMC 65 nm CMOS and consumes ~58 mW from a 1 V supply.