Silicon VLSI catches the millimeter wave

Silicon SoCs capable of millimeter-wave frequency operation now offer a combination of performance, functionality, scale of integration, and cost unrivaled by other IC technologies. The components and circuits that are propelling deep submicron silicon technologies in mm-wave system front-ends are surveyed in this article. Onchip passives and interconnect are highlighted, as these are not scaling as aggressively as the transistors with each new IC generation. Other design aspects of wireless front-end circuit blocks relevant to wideband communication and radar ranging are also outlined, specifically the voltage-controlled oscillator and tuned amplifiers for gain and power output. A description of a 2 × 2 phased-array transmitter demonstrator operating at 60 GHz and fabricated in 65 nm bulk CMOS concludes the discussion.