Millimeter-Wave CMOS Antennas and RFIC Parameter Extraction for Vehicular Applications

This paper reviews recent developments in vehicular radar at 60 GHz and above, with a focus on low cost integrated antennas. We investigate a number of radar and communication antenna systems that can be made inexpensively and in large volumes using standard CMOS semiconductor fabrication methods. As shown here, the electromagnetic characteristics of low cost CMOS processes are often not well understood when applied to mmWave and THz RF applications. Here, we describe several methodologies and measured results to understand electromagnetic behavior of integrated circuits and on-chip antenna performance in a 180 nm CMOS process up to 67 GHz. By gaining understanding of the electrical characteristics of older, lower cost semiconductor CMOS processes, it becomes possible to design mmWave on-chip antennas and other passive devices at extremely low cost and with great reliability.