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This brief reports a novel low-power 30GHz LNA in 22nm FDSOI CMOS technology. The LNA is based on an active network with CMOS inverting amplifier stages, and input and output feedforward impedance matching networks. It exhibits a peak gain of 11.4 dB, a noise figure of 5.8 dB, with a record power consumption of 0.52 mW from a 0.8 V supply. Owing to its circuit topology, the LNA is compact in size and its core area amounts to $0.20\times0.22$ mm2.

This brief reports a compact DC-110GHz single-pole single-throw (SPST) switch in 22nm FDSOI CMOS technology. The switch adopts solely three n-MOSFETs, two of them with a special device option to reduce the substrate parasitic effects, and a third n-MOSFET in parallel to the gate resistance of the series n-MOSFET to improve isolation. Unlike prior wideband mm-wave switches, it does not make use of any large passive components, such as spiral inductors, transformers and transmission lines, which are prone to large parasitic effects, including losses, and require large area on silicon. Altogether, the novel switch circuit allows a very compact design, low losses and high isolation performance. The switch exhibits an insertion loss lower than 3.1 dB, an isolation better than 22 dB, and a return loss better than 12 dB, over the entire frequency range from DC to 110 GHz. The area on die amounts to $160~\mu \text{m}^{2}$ , that is up two or more orders of magnitude smaller than prior wideband mm-wave SPST switches.

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This paper reviews recent developments of semiconductor integrated radar for modern sensing applications. It focuses on a few representative works of integrated radar sensor chips that operate in the continuous-wave mode and the ultra-wideband pulse mode. The benefits of solid state science and technology to modern radar-on-chip solution are clearly demonstrated through those examples. The paper also presents some commercial application case studies, and discusses the outlook of integrated radar solution and the corresponding need from future semiconductor technologies.

A 50 GHz cross‐coupled differential‐pair oscillator with a high‐Q active inductor in the LC tank has been designed and fabricated in 65 nm bulk complementary metal‐oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology. The principle of operation is explained and a complete theoretical study is carried out. The analytical expressions for the open loop transfer function, oscillation frequency, start‐up condition, tank impedance, and phase noise are derived. The results of the analytical study are compared with those obtained by SpectreRF simulations in the Cadence design environment. Measurement results of the stand‐alone mm‐wave active inductor show an equivalent inductance of 133 pH with a quality factor exceeding 400 at 50 GHz, demonstrating experimentally the implementation of high‐Q active inductors operating at the millimeter waves in CMOS technology. The measurement results of the oscillator show a phase noise of −85 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz frequency offset from the carrier when the active inductor is switched off and −91 dBc/Hz when it is switched on, leading to a phased noise reduction of 6 dB. This original manuscript expands and extends the contents reported in the short conference paper “50 GHz LC‐active oscillator in 65 nm CMOS” presented at the 2015 IEEE 15th Mediterranean Microwave Symposium (MMS), selected and invited for publication in Radio Science—Special Issue on “Innovative Microwave Devices, Methods, and Applications”A 50 GHz active‐LC oscillator in 65 nm CMOS has been designed and characterized experimentallyA complete theoretical circuit analysis of the proposed oscillator has been carried out extensively in large details A 50 GHz oscillator with a high‐Q active inductor in the LC tank has been designed and fabricated in 65 nm bulk CMOS technology. The principle of operation is explained and a complete theoretical study is carried out. The analytical expressions for the open loop transfer function, oscillation frequency, start‐up condition, tank impedance and phase noise are derived. The results of the analytical study are compared with those obtained by simulations. Measurement results of the stand‐alone mm‐wave active inductor show an equivalent inductance of 133 pH with a quality factor exceeding 400 at 50 GHz, demonstrating experimentally the implementation of high‐Q active inductors operating at the millimeter‐waves in CMOS technology. The measurement results of the oscillator show a phase noise of −85 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz frequency offset from the carrier when the active inductor is switched off and −91 dBc/Hz when it is switched on, leading to a phased noise improvement of 6 dB.

This paper reviews recent developments of semiconductor integrated radar for modern sensing applications. It focuses on a few representative works of integrated radar sensor chips that operate in the continuous-wave mode and the ultra-wideband pulse mode. The benefits of solid state science and technology to modern radar-on-chip solution are clearly demonstrated through those examples. The paper also presents some commercial application case studies, and discusses the outlook of integrated radar solution and the corresponding need from future semiconductor technologies.