Progress towards mW-power generation in CMOS THz signal sources

High-power generation at terahertz frequency range from CMOS is very challenging. In this paper, we summarize the recent progress made in Cornell University for this effort, which includes signal sources generating sub-milliwatt power in 200~500GHz. In particular, we report a 482-GHz triple-push oscillator with -7.9dBm output power, and a 290-GHz VCO with -1.2dBm output power and 4.5% tuning range. To enhance the source bandwidth, we also report two frequency doublers. The first is a 250-GHz active doubler with output power and bandwidth of -6.6dBm and 7.8%. The second is a 480-GHz passive doubler with an output power of -6.3dBm and bandwidth larger than 20GHz (4.2%). All the above circuits are fabricated using standard 65-nm CMOS technology.