Towards Multi-Gigabit readout at 60 GHz for the ATLAS silicon microstrip detector

In this paper we present the status of s feasibility study for a wireless readout of the Silicon inner-tracker for the ATLAS silicon strip detector with use of the 60 GHz band, also known as the Millimeter wave band due to its wavelength of 5 mm. The 60 GHz band is very suitable for high data rate and short distance applications, which can provide wireless Multi Gigabit per second radial data transmission inside the ATLAS silicon strip detector, making a first level track trigger processing all hit data feasible. A first prototype of the 60 GHz wireless multigigabit data transfer topology is currently under development at the University of Heidelberg using the 130 nm SiGe HBT BiCMOS 8HP technology. The wireless transceiver consists of a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter includes an On-Off-Keying scheme (OOK) modulator, a Local Oscillator (LO), a Power Amplifier (PA) and a BandPass Filter (BPF). The receiver part is composed of a BPF, a Low Noise Amplifier (LNA), a double balanced down convert Gilbert mixer, a LO, BPF to remove the mixer introduced noise, a Intermediate Frequency (IF) amplifier and a OOK Demodulator that converts the signal back to its original form. The first prototype will be designed to handle a data rate of 3.5 Gbps over a link distance of 1 m. The required distance for the ATLAS silicon strip detector is about 10 cm. First simulations of the LNA show that a Noise Figure (NF) of 5 dB, a power gain of 21 dB at 60 GHz with a 3dB bandwidth of more than 20 GHz with a power consumption of 11 mW are achieved. A mixer with a NF of 9.3 dB, a conversion gain of 8.5 dB with a input power PLO of -2 dBm and RF power of -30 dBm@60 GHz with a power consumption of 7 mW is here achieved. Simulations of the PA show an output referred compression point P1dB of 19.7 dB at 60 GHz.