Silicon-based on-chip four-channel phased-array radar transmitter with ferroelectric thin film at 100 GHz

• Main Authors: Jingtian Liu, Shuming Chen, Hui Huang, Ke Xiao, Xiaowen Chen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2019-07-01
• Series: The Journal of Engineering
• Subjects: power dividers; antenna phased arrays; polymer films; radar transmitters; microstrip lines; microstrip antennas; phased array radar; phase shifters; microstrip antenna arrays; silicon; permittivity; millimetre wave antenna arrays; ferroelectric thin films; microwave phase shifters; ferroelectric devices; microwave integrated circuits; system-on-chip; millimetre wave radar; benzocyclobutene polymer film; four-element antenna array; silicon-based system-on-chip radar RF front-end system; silicon-based on-chip four-channel phased-array radar transmitter; ferroelectric thin film; silicon-based phased-array transmitter; planar array ferroelectric film phase shifters; DC bias lines; monolithic silicon substrate; ferroelectric film phase shifters; patch antennas; low permittivity polymer film; low loss tangent polymer film; frequency 100.0 GHz; size 0.45 mm; loss 3.95 dB
• Online Access: https://digital-library.theiet.org/content/journals/10.1049/joe.2019.0239

A silicon-based phased-array transmitter working at 100 GHz is proposed in this study. Planar array ferroelectric film phase shifters (FPSs) are realised with patch antennas, DC bias lines, microstrip lines and power dividers on a monolithic silicon substrate. The system enables full process compatibility and avoids loss caused by multichip interconnection. The isolation layer uses benzocyclobutene polymer film with low permittivity and low loss tangent, providing large thickness physical isolation. The FPS has a compact length of 0.45 mm, and simulation results show that its phase shift degree at 100 GHz is 125.7° with 3.95 dB insertion loss and 11.4 dB reflection loss. The patch antenna shows that the maximum simulated radiation gain of the single antenna is 4 dBi and the four-element antenna array is 9.7 dBi at 100 GHz. The beam can be steered to ±10°. The proposed system lays an important foundation for the realisation of silicon-based system-on-chip radar RF front-end system.