A 24–44 GHz Broadband Transmit–Receive Front End in 0.13-μm SiGe BiCMOS for Multistandard 5G Applications

In this article, a novel broadband millimeter-wave (mm-wave) front end (FE) based on the asymmetric switch network structure is proposed for multistandard fifth-generation (5G) applications. The asymmetric switch network consists of a bidirectional impedance transformation network and a T-type topology single-pole single-throw (SPST) switch. In the TX-mode, the bidirectional impedance transformation network serves as an output matching network to achieve a continuous-mode Class-F^-1 power amplifier (PA) to expand the bandwidth. In the RX-mode, the OFF impedance of the PA can be transformed into a high-impedance region by the bidirectional impedance transformation network. Based on the proposed structure, a broadband mm-wave front end is implemented in the 0.13- μm SiGe BiCMOS process, which occupies 906 μm ×997 μm including pads. In the TX-mode, the -1-dB P_sat bandwidth of the FE covers 21-44 GHz with the maximum output power of 18.1-19 dBm and the peak power added efficiency (PAE) of 20.2%-26.8%. In the RX-mode, the FE achieves an 84.6% and -3-dB small-signal gain fractional bandwidth from 20.2 to 49.8 GHz with 38-mW power consumption. It achieves a measured noise figure (NF) of 7.62-11.64 dB over the frequency range of 24-48 GHz. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first FE that covers all the present 5G mm-wave bands without reconfiguration.