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This article presents a 24/77-GHz transmitter chipset for automotive radar sensors implemented in a 160/175-GHz fT/fmax SiGe BiCMOS technology. The chipset adopts a dual-band architecture consisting of a 24-GHz section for ultra-wideband short-range radar operation, which is also exploited to drive the 77-GHz long-range radar transmitter front-end. The proposed design adopts a single 24-GHz frequency synthesizer to implement both radar operation modes. The transmitter chipset is able to deliver a maximum output power of 3 dBm and 12 dBm at 24 GHz and 77 GHz, respectively. The 24-GHz transmitter demonstrates to operate with pulse widths of 0.5 ns and 1 ns in compliance with the transmission mask designed by ETSI. The 77-GHz transmitter exhibits a power gain of 20 dB, an output power of 12 dBm, and an output referred 1-dB compression point of 9.5 dBm, while drawing 155 mA from a 2.5-V supply voltage. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 55:782-786, 2013; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI: 10.1002/mop.27425 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This letter presents a 77-GHz power amplifier implemented in a SiGe BiCMOS technology featuring bipolar transistors with 160/175-GHz f/ f. The circuit adopts a two stage differential topology with integrated input/output matching networks. The amplifier performance is considerably improved thanks to proper input/output LC resonant networks, which cancel out the ground-plane parasitic effect. Matching networks use stacked transformers for impedance matching, differential-to-single-ended conversion, and electro-static discharge protection. The circuit achieves a power gain of 18.5 dB, a maximum output power of 11.6 dBm, with 4.2% power-added efficiency, and an output 1-dB compression point of 9.3 dBm. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 53:1413-1416, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.25972 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this letter, a novel structure for mm-wave integrated transformers is presented. The proposed transformers, namely, interstacked, exploit mixed interleaved/stacked coils, which allow increasing the magnetic coupling with respect to stacked devices, providing full geometrical/electrical symmetry. An extensive comparison between interstacked and conventional structures demonstrates the benefits of the proposed configuration in terms of the most significant figures of merit for integrated transformers. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 2160–2163, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.25385 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a 24-GHz low-noise amplifier for vehicular short-range radar applications is presented. The circuit, fabricated in a 0.13-μm SiGe:C BiCMOS process, consists of three fully differential transformer-loaded cascode stages, including a gain-control functionality. The amplifier exhibits a 35-dB power gain and a noise figure of 3.4 dB, providing a reverse isolation better than -60 dB. By using a 1-bit gain control, the LNA achieves an input 1-dB compression point of -12 dBm. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 2013–2016, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23584 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]