An antenna-coupled 0.49 THz SiGe HBT source for active illumination in terahertz imaging applications

This paper presents a high power 0.49 THz source manufactured in an advanced SiGe BiCMOS technology. The source comprises a broadband lens-integrated circular slot on-chip antenna coupled to a single-ended triple-push Colpitts oscillator. Broadband harmonic power-shorting at the collector terminals is used to maximize the third harmonic voltage swing. The source provides up to 38 μW (-14.2 dBm) radiated power and occupies a die area of 0.294 mm². Consuming 54 mW from a 1.8 V supply voltage, the source shows a high DC-to-RF efficiency of up to 0.058%.