A 0.32-THz 4-Transmitter Phased Array using Chiplets in 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS

A 0.324-THz 4-transmitter phased array has been designed with individual multiply-by-16 frequency multiplier transmitter chiplets using a 130-nm SiGe:C BiCMOS technology with an f
t
/f
max
of 350/450 GHz. The maximum effective isotropic radiated power of 14.1 dBm with an output power of 9.8 dBm has been measured, resulting in a dc-to-THz efficiency of 0.7% at 0.324 THz. Beamsteering of the 4-element phased array is presented in a measurement setup with four external phase-shifted 20-GHz input signals, revealing beam scanning over 24° in one plane. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first chiplet-based phased array demonstration with large output power using phase-lockable multiplier-based transmitters above 0.3 THz.