WSH: System-level design and implementation of Gb/s 60GHz radios

In recent years, the design of active and passive mm-wave components in general, and in the 60GHz band in particular, has become a center of gravity for academic and industrial research. The time has come to move beyond circuit components and fulfill the motivation for the development of this technology: the deployment of commercial solutions capable of delivering Gb/s wireless links in a variety of applications. A successful Gb/s 60GHz radio module is the result of holistic design. These contemporary systems push the boundary not only of RF design, but also of DSP techniques, and communication systems. This workshop brings to IMS-RFIC 2009 the experts leading the standards, design and system integration for 60GHz commercial solutions. The physical layer design and specifications for key applications, such as high-definition video and fast download, are covered considering both single-carrier and OFDM modulations. The pros and cons of each signaling scheme for different usage scenarios are analyzed. The impact of RF circuit non-idealities in these systems is also addressed. Full system implementation examples, including radio and baseband, are presented and illustrated with 60GHz end-to-end systems and link experiments. One of the specific challenges and opportunities of 60GHz is the directionality of the transmitted energy that can be enhanced and steered through the use of beamforming. While different RF implementations of phased-arrays are available in contemporary literature, the impact of beamforming on a high data rate communication system is less understood. This workshop will cover this crucial aspect from a system viewpoint. All of the presentations will address how these important aspects of 60GHz systems are addressed by the emerging standards such as the IEEE 802.15.3c 60GHz standard.