A versatile 60 GHz CMOS phased-array transmitter chipset for broadband radio-over-fiber systems

A versatile 60-GHz phased-array transmitter chipset is developed in a 90-nm CMOS technology for broadband radio-over-fiber (RoF) applications. The chipset consists of a 60-GHz transmitter and a 60-GHz RF beamformer. The optical part of the system is implemented using commercial components. The up conversion of the 60-GHz RoF can be processed using all-optical approach with the beamformer to provide the phased-array function. It can also be realized with an optical/electrical hybrid approach, which a digital baseband signal is carried via the fiber and up converted by the 60-GHz transmitter, and the beamformer can still be applied for the optional phased-array function. This 60-GHz transmitter chipset is well-suited for millimeter-wave RoF communication systems.