Design and Modeling Considerations for Fully-Integrated Silicon W-Band Transceivers

This paper presents circuit design methodologies, modeling techniques, and circuit architectures for silicon transceivers above 77 GHz. The architectures of three existing CMOS and SiGe BiCMOS receivers and transceivers are compared to demonstrate the variety of choices available to the circuit designer, and to highlight design challenges that arise in transceivers above 77 GHz. A comparison of 65 nm CMOS and 130 nm SiGe BiCMOS circuits illustrates the suitability of both technologies in W-Band systems. Inductor and transformer scaling is demonstrated beyond 160 GHz, and the extension of an existing modeling technique for inductors is shown to accurately model transformers and transmission lines. The optimum biasing of power amplifiers is investigated in CMOS and SiGe HBT technologies.