A highly integrated MMIC chipset for 28 GHz LMDS Applications

This paper is intended to give an insight in the development of PHEMT multifunction MMICs (MFC) in the millimetre wave frequency range. It applies to the fast growing Local Multipoint Distribution System (LMDS) market, offering a two-chip solution for the subscriber transceivers. The focus is on the up and down converter dedicated to the Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) at 28GHz. These two chips include a sub-harmonic mixer, a buffer amplifier for the local oscillator and a low noise amplifier used either as a LNA (for Rx) or transmit driver (for Tx). The design was oriented toward low chip-size in order to being able to reach the cost requirement for such systems. Results are shown from a demonstrator assembly built with these two MMICs MFCs.