T/R modules technology for Mobile terminals

Phased array antennas offer unique features able to attract many different market segments. Phased Array intrinsic flexibility is due to a proper control of the beam shape and steering through amplitude and phase control of each single radiating element: Phase Shifters and Attenuators are generally integrated into active modules together with the control logic which allows controlling them. Because of the great number of radiating elements generally needed to achieve the required performances, the integration of the MMICs into the active modules represents a strong cost contributor. In this respect, highly integrated MMICs represent a clear advantage: concentrating different functions and/or different RF channels in a single chip they allow simplification of the BFN design and of the integration process. In this paper, two Ku-band MMICs integrating RF and digital functions are presented: a Digital Vector Modulator (DVM) in GaAs technology and a multinode MMIC in SiGe technology.