Research Projects

60 GHz Front-End Receiver

Bagher Afshar and Ali Niknejad

Extremely high data rate short-range communication systems are among the emerging applications for the 60 GHz spectrum. Low cost and mass production are prerequisites for many applications that are expected to enter the realm of consumer electronics. Digital CMOS technology is a very favorable candidate. In this research we demonstrate a highly integrated front-end receiver manufactured in a 90 nm digital CMOS process using a design approach amenable to mass production. Robustness of the design, low sensitivity to process variation, low power consumption convenient for portable applications, and excellent matching between simulation and measurement results for desired frequency and gain were the goals of this research. These factors all together make this front-end suitable for small footprint portable applications such as a cell phone, PDA, or laptop computer.

Figure 1: Layout of the front-end receiver