Abstract
A broadband H-band (220 GHz–325 GHz) frequency tripler using the triple-push technique is presented in 250-nm InP heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT) technology. It consisted of three identical unit-cell multipliers, which were individually pumped by the W-band input signals with 120° phase difference. For this purpose, a 120° 3-way power divider was proposed using the 1:2 and 1:1 Lange couplers with 30° phase delay lines. The fundamental and 2nd harmonic signals of each unit-cell multiplier were added out-of-phase at the output, allowing an effective harmonic suppression. On the contrast, the 3rd harmonic components were combined in-phase at the output, so that the entire circuit successfully did the function of the frequency multiplier-by-3. The fabricated frequency tripler exhibited a broadband output power of −7.4 ± 1.4 dBm from 225 GHz to 330 GHz at an input power of 9.6 ± 0.8 dBm, with an average conversion gain of −16.8 dB.
Highlights
There has been extensive research developing sub-millimeter-wave and terahertz (THz) oscillator and power amplifier integrated circuits (ICs) using advanced transistor technologies [1,2,3,4].Frequency multipliers are widely used to generate THz frequency signals in integrated circuit circuit (IC)
Active H-band (220 GHz–325 GHz) frequency multipliers have been reported in the form of IC using high-speed transistor technologies, such as GaAs metamorphic high electron mobility transistors or InP HEMTs and SiGe or InP heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) [6,7,8]
The H-band frequency doubler was designed in 90-nm SiGe HBTs in [6], which consists of the balun and common-emitter pair
Summary
There has been extensive research developing sub-millimeter-wave and terahertz (THz) oscillator and power amplifier integrated circuits (ICs) using advanced transistor technologies [1,2,3,4]. Active H-band (220 GHz–325 GHz) frequency multipliers have been reported in the form of IC using high-speed transistor technologies, such as GaAs metamorphic high electron mobility transistors (mHEMTs) or InP HEMTs and SiGe or InP heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) [6,7,8] They can offer highly-integrated and low-cost THz signal sources, because they can be integrated with other circuits in the same semiconductor process [7]. The H-band frequency doubler was designed in 90-nm SiGe HBTs in [6], which consists of the balun and common-emitter pair It exhibits an output power of about 0.5 dBm for an input power of 16 dBm–17 dBm from 200 GHz to 245 GHz. A higher-order (>2) multiplier in a single stage can reduce the input frequency and chip size. All the passive components, such as microstrip lines, Lange couplers, and capacitors
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