Ka-band CMOS for communications applications

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The objective of the proposed research is to model and experimentally investigate high-speed microelectronics for microwave and millimeter wave communication systems using complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) processes, commonly used for digital circuits. Since circuit fabrication costs in CMOS can be significantly lower than most of the traditional microwave technologies, they offer significant competitive advantages to manufacturers. This emerging area of research has applications for both wireless and  photonic systems.Three primary thrusts are proposed. Firstly, the project will develop and test novel high speed planar inductive interconnects between planar off-chip antennas and CMOS electronics. The integration of antennas with silicon circuits is a very challenging problem, as traditional low-resistivity silicon substrates significantly degrade the efficiency of antennas when in close proximity.The second major thrust is the development of low-loss inductive elements for CMOS low noise amplifiers (LNAs), mixers, and voltage controlled oscillators (VCOs). The loss of traditional passive elements significantly degrade performance of CMOS circuits at these frequencies.The third major thrust is the completion of a completely integrated differential CMOS front-end at 24 GHz using an inexpensive 0.18 um process. Using techniques developed in the first two thrusts, the performance of a differential receiver consisting of an integrated antenna with an LNA, mixer, and voltage controlled oscillator will be assessed.This project proposes to develop techniques that enable the development of compact, low cost communication systems at high data rates.