A Fundamental-Frequency 122 GHz Radar Transceiver with 5.3 dBm Single-Ended Output Power in a 130 nm SiGe Technology

A fundamental-frequency D-Band transceiver (TRX) module in a 130 nm SiGe HBT technology for radar applications is presented. The module achieves in measurements a phase noise of -89 dBcI/Hz at an offset frequency of 1 MHz with an output frequency of f
TX
=122 GHz and operates in the frequency range of 110 - 125 GHz. A measured maximum conversion gain (CG) of 8.5 dB at f
IF
= 1 GHz is observed. Due to limitations of available measurement equipment, the output power had to be measured in a single-ended manner. Under this consideration, an output power of 5.3 dBm is measured, which to the best of the author's knowledge, corresponds to the highest output power reported so far for a fully-integrated fundamental-frequency-based TRX module including on-chip LO generation in the 120 GHz frequency range. By employing a differential antenna at the output, the TRX can potentially generate an effective output power of about 8 dBm.