110–140-GHz single-chip reconfigurable radar frontend with on-chip antenna

This paper presents a 110-140GHz reconfigurable radar frontend IC with on-chip antenna. The IC contains two switchable input buffers, two frequency multipliers, a PA, an LNA, a SPDT HBT switch and an on-chip antenna, fully integrated in a SiGe technology. The radar sensor is intended for a multistatic radar array where each unit can be configured as Tx or as Rx, providing more flexibility and information than conventional radar arrays. The chip can be configured either as transmitter or receiver. The packaged ICs have been characterized as an FMCW radar with and without dielectric lenses. The radar can cover a 30GHz bandwidth from 110 to 140 GHz, leading to a measured range resolution of 7.1 mm. An extend bandwidth of 46GHz is also possible with larger gain variation.