MM-wave transceivers using SiGe HBT technology

High-speed wireless technology has been evolving with roughly 2× speed improvements every 18 months. Currently the wireless local-area network (WLAN) and wireless personal-area network (WPAN) spaces are developing new standards to increase wireless speeds beyond the 10-54 Mbit/s achieved in the first and second generation IEEE wireless network standards. Challenging issues which must be addressed in these new high-rate standards include FCC restrictions on maximum radiated power and power spectral density, bandwidth limitations in the available 2.4 and 5 GHz ISM bands, and cost and power required to support the high date rates in portable devices. This paper discusses the realization of a mm-wave transceiver in advanced SiGe HBT technology for application in high-speed mm-wave wireless systems. A low-power, integrated 60 GHz transceiver opens up the potential for economical high-speed wireless systems which can take advantage of >5 GHz of unlicensed spectrum available in the 60 GHz ISM band.