Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A wideband CMOS power amplifier with 23.3 dB S21, 10.6 dBm PSAT and 12.3 % PAE for 60 GHz WPAN and 77 GHz automobile radar systems

  • Published:
Analog Integrated Circuits and Signal Processing Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A wideband power amplifier (PA) for 60 and 77 GHz direct-conversion transceiver using standard 90 nm CMOS technology is reported. The PA comprises a cascode input stage with a wideband T-type input-matching network and inductive interconnection and load, followed by a common-source (CS) gain stage and a CS output stage. To increase the saturated output power (PSAT) and power-added efficiency (PAE), the output stage adopts a two-way power dividing and combining architecture. Instead of the area-consumed Wilkinson power divider and combiner, miniature low-loss transmission-line inductors are used at the input and output terminals of each of the output stages for wideband input and output impedance matching to 100 Ω. This in turn results in further PSAT and PAE enhancement. The PA consumes 92.2 mW and achieves maximum power gain (S21) of 23.3 dB at 56 GHz, and S21 of 21.7 and 14 dB, respectively, at 60 and 77 GHz. In addition, the PA achieves excellent saturated output power (PSAT) of 10.6 dBm and maximum power added efficiency (PAE) of 12.3 % at 60 GHz. At 77 GHz, the PA achieves excellent PSAT of 10.4 dBm and maximum PAE of 6 %. These results demonstrate the proposed wideband PA architecture is very promising for 60 GHz wireless personal local network and 77 GHz automobile radar systems.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Suzuki, T., Kawano, Y., Sato, M., Hirose, T., Joshin, K. (2008). 60 and 77 GHz Power Amplifiers in Standard 90 nm CMOS. In IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC), pp. 562–563.

  2. Kurita, N., Kondoh, H. (2009). 60 GHz and 80 GHz Wide band power amplifier MMICs in 90 nm CMOS technology. In IEEE Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits Symposium (RFIC), pp. 39–42.

  3. Chan, D., Feng, M. (2011). W-band monolithic CPW Wilkinson CMOS power amplifier. In IEEE Topical Conference on Power Amplifiers for Wireless and Radio Applications (PAWR), pp. 33–36.

  4. Lee, J., Chen, C. C., Tsai, C. C., Lin, K. Y., Wang, H. (2009). A 68–83 GHz power amplifier in 90 nm CMOS. In IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS), pp. 437–440.

  5. Oh, J., Ku, B., Hong, S. (2013). A 77 GHz CMOS medium power amplifier with transmission line transformers for multi-mode automotive radar system. In Asia-Pacific Microwave Conference, pp. 769–771.

  6. Tai, W., Ricketts, D. S. (2014). A W-band 21.1 dBm power amplifier with an 8-way zero-degree combiner in 45 nm SOl CMOS. In IEEE MTT-S International and Microwave Symposium (IMS), pp. 1–3.

  7. Lin, C. C., Yu, C. H., Kuo, H. C., Chuang, H. R. (2014). Design of 60-GHz 90-nm CMOS balanced power amplifier with miniaturized quadrature hybrids. In 2014 IEEE Topical Conference on Power Amplifiers for Wireless and Radio Applications (PAWR), pp. 52–54.

  8. Aloui, S., Leite, B., Demirel, N., Plana, R., Belot, D., Kerherve, E. (2013). Optimization of 65 nm CMOS passive devices to design a 16 dBm-Psat 60 GHz power amplifier. In 2013 IEEE Fourth Latin American Symposium on Circuits and Systems (LASCAS), pp. 1–4.

  9. Hamidian, A., Subramanian, V., Doerner, R., Shu, R., Malignaggi, A., Ali, M. K., Boeck, G. (2011). 60 GHz power amplifier utilizing 90 nm CMOS Technology. In 2011 IEEE International Symposium on Radio-Frequency Integration Technology (RFIT), pp. 73–76.

  10. Lee, J. H., Chen, C. C., & Lin, Y. S. (2010). A 60 GHz CMOS receiver front-end with integrated 180° out-of-phase Wilkinson power divider. Microwave and Optical Technology Letters, 52(12), 2688–2694.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Law, C. Y., Pham, A. V. (2010). A high-gain 60 GHz power amplifier with 20 dBm output power in 90 nm CMOS. In 2010 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference, pp. 426–427.

  12. Wang, T., Chen, H. C., Chiu, H. W., Lin, Y. S., Huang, G. W., & Lu, S. S. (2006). Micromachined CMOS LNA and VCO By CMOS compatible ICP deep trench technology. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 54(2), 580–588.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Chiu, H. W., Lu, S. S., & Lin, Y. S. (2005). A 2.17 dB NF, 5 GHz band monolithic CMOS LNA with 10 mW DC power consumption on a thin (20 μm) substrate. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 53(3), 813–824.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Lin, Y. S., Chen, C. Z., Yang, H. Y., Chen, C. C., Lee, J. H., Huang, G. W., & Lu, S. S. (2010). Analysis and design of a CMOS UWB LNA with dual-RLC-branch wideband input matching network. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 58(2), 287–296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Chang, J. F., & Lin, Y. S. (2011). A 0.99 mW 3–10 GHz CG CMOS UWB LNA using T-match input network and self-body-bias technique. IET Electronics Letters, 47(11), 658–659.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Edwards, M. L., & Sinsky, J. H. (1992). A new criterion for linear 2-port stability using a single geometrically derived parameter. IEEE Transaction on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 40(12), 2303–2311.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work is supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of the ROC under Contract MOST103-2221-E-260-027-MY3. The authors are also very grateful for the support from National Chip Implementation Center (CIC), Taiwan, for chip fabrication, and National Nano-Device Laboratory (NDL), Taiwan, for high-frequency measurements.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical Engineering, National Chi Nan University, Puli, Taiwan, ROC

    Yo-Sheng Lin, Chien-Chin Wang & Chien-Yo Lee

Authors
  1. Yo-Sheng Lin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Chien-Chin Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Chien-Yo Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yo-Sheng Lin.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Lin, YS., Wang, CC. & Lee, CY. A wideband CMOS power amplifier with 23.3 dB S21, 10.6 dBm PSAT and 12.3 % PAE for 60 GHz WPAN and 77 GHz automobile radar systems. Analog Integr Circ Sig Process 86, 65–75 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10470-015-0645-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10470-015-0645-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation