29.2 A 0.59THz Beam-Steerable Coherent Radiator Array with 1mW Radiated Power and 24.1dBm EIRP in 40nm CMOS

Abstract

In THz imaging systems, signal sources are needed to provide illumination of objects. In several reported imaging systems working at 0.3THz, 0.62THz, and 0.81 THz, an output power around 1 mW is required to achieve an acceptable dynamic range [1]. In these systems, the THz signal is generated using III-V devices and waveguide assemblies, which are expensive and bulky. In contrast, CMOS technologies have the advantages of compact size, low cost, and high integration. Until recently, 1mW radiated power has not been achieved at frequencies higher than 0.35THz in silicon technologies. Besides high output power, beam-steering ability of a signal source is also essential as it can replace bulky and slow mechanical beam-steering approaches often found in THz imaging systems [1]. In this paper, a 0.59THz beam-steerable coherent-radiator array is presented in 40nm CMOS. Combining 36 coherent radiators in a 0.68mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> area, it achieves 1mW radiated power, 24.1dBm EIRP, and 0.08% OC-to- THz efficiency at 586.7GHz. Besides, a beam-steering range of 30° is achieved in the E-plane.