A 9% power efficiency 121-to-137GHz phase-controlled push-push frequency quadrupler in 0.13μm SiGe BiCMOS

High-data-rate short-range communication and image systems beyond 100GHz impose crucial requirements on signal sources, demanding superior purity and stability. Using frequency multipliers with high efficiency and multiplication factor to generate the Nth harmonic signal that is phase-locked by a PL...

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Main Authors: Wang, Yong, Goh, Wang Ling, Xiong, Yong-Zhong
Other Authors: School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Format: Conference Paper
Language:English
Published: 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/97989
http://hdl.handle.net/10220/13235
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author Wang, Yong
Goh, Wang Ling
Xiong, Yong-Zhong
author2 School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
author_facet School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Wang, Yong
Goh, Wang Ling
Xiong, Yong-Zhong
author_sort Wang, Yong
collection NTU
description High-data-rate short-range communication and image systems beyond 100GHz impose crucial requirements on signal sources, demanding superior purity and stability. Using frequency multipliers with high efficiency and multiplication factor to generate the Nth harmonic signal that is phase-locked by a PLL at the fundamental frequency provides an alternative solution. The desired signal in an active frequency multiplier can be generated using Class B/C amplifiers, where a half-wave signal containing all harmonics is first created and then filtered to remove the undesired harmonic components [1]. Another approach is to apply the same signal to both the IF and RF ports of a mixer to construct a doubler followed by cascading to form the quadrupler [3]. The linear superposition (LS) technique that superimposes four phase-shifted half-waves of 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270° is another popular scheme [5]. For multipliers with high multiplication factors, these prior techniques may offer very low power efficiency (η). Quadrupler cores based on Class B/C amplifiers, mixers, or the LS technique had been reported with η of 0.9% [1], 0.04% [3] and 0.0002% [5], respectively. Therefore, instead of improving the η of the multiplier cores, the design of the subsequent amplifiers after the multiplier to boost the η and output power has become a popular approach. We have substantially enhanced the η of a frequency quadrupler core using a phase-controlled push-push (PCPP) technique to directly synthesize the 4th harmonic. We noted that in an ideal situation, the proposed quadrupler circuit is able to generate almost no other harmonics, attaining an η of 50%. In this paper, we present a 121-to-137GHz frequency quadrupler based on a 0.13μm SiGe BiCMOS process. For the purpose of measurement, a balun coupled with buffers to provide the differential signals is also designed. The DC power con- umptions of the quadrupler core and input buffers are 6.4mW and 28.8mW, respectively. Our demonstrated quadrupler core is able to achieve 9% (1.6% including input buffers) power efficiency at 1.6V, with a -2.4dBm output signal.
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spelling ntu-10356/979892020-03-07T13:24:48Z A 9% power efficiency 121-to-137GHz phase-controlled push-push frequency quadrupler in 0.13μm SiGe BiCMOS Wang, Yong Goh, Wang Ling Xiong, Yong-Zhong School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (2012 : San Francisco, California, US) DRNTU::Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering High-data-rate short-range communication and image systems beyond 100GHz impose crucial requirements on signal sources, demanding superior purity and stability. Using frequency multipliers with high efficiency and multiplication factor to generate the Nth harmonic signal that is phase-locked by a PLL at the fundamental frequency provides an alternative solution. The desired signal in an active frequency multiplier can be generated using Class B/C amplifiers, where a half-wave signal containing all harmonics is first created and then filtered to remove the undesired harmonic components [1]. Another approach is to apply the same signal to both the IF and RF ports of a mixer to construct a doubler followed by cascading to form the quadrupler [3]. The linear superposition (LS) technique that superimposes four phase-shifted half-waves of 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270° is another popular scheme [5]. For multipliers with high multiplication factors, these prior techniques may offer very low power efficiency (η). Quadrupler cores based on Class B/C amplifiers, mixers, or the LS technique had been reported with η of 0.9% [1], 0.04% [3] and 0.0002% [5], respectively. Therefore, instead of improving the η of the multiplier cores, the design of the subsequent amplifiers after the multiplier to boost the η and output power has become a popular approach. We have substantially enhanced the η of a frequency quadrupler core using a phase-controlled push-push (PCPP) technique to directly synthesize the 4th harmonic. We noted that in an ideal situation, the proposed quadrupler circuit is able to generate almost no other harmonics, attaining an η of 50%. In this paper, we present a 121-to-137GHz frequency quadrupler based on a 0.13μm SiGe BiCMOS process. For the purpose of measurement, a balun coupled with buffers to provide the differential signals is also designed. The DC power con- umptions of the quadrupler core and input buffers are 6.4mW and 28.8mW, respectively. Our demonstrated quadrupler core is able to achieve 9% (1.6% including input buffers) power efficiency at 1.6V, with a -2.4dBm output signal. 2013-08-26T07:06:41Z 2019-12-06T19:49:06Z 2013-08-26T07:06:41Z 2019-12-06T19:49:06Z 2012 2012 Conference Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10356/97989 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/13235 10.1109/ISSCC.2012.6177008 en
spellingShingle DRNTU::Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering
Wang, Yong
Goh, Wang Ling
Xiong, Yong-Zhong
A 9% power efficiency 121-to-137GHz phase-controlled push-push frequency quadrupler in 0.13μm SiGe BiCMOS
title A 9% power efficiency 121-to-137GHz phase-controlled push-push frequency quadrupler in 0.13μm SiGe BiCMOS
title_full A 9% power efficiency 121-to-137GHz phase-controlled push-push frequency quadrupler in 0.13μm SiGe BiCMOS
title_fullStr A 9% power efficiency 121-to-137GHz phase-controlled push-push frequency quadrupler in 0.13μm SiGe BiCMOS
title_full_unstemmed A 9% power efficiency 121-to-137GHz phase-controlled push-push frequency quadrupler in 0.13μm SiGe BiCMOS
title_short A 9% power efficiency 121-to-137GHz phase-controlled push-push frequency quadrupler in 0.13μm SiGe BiCMOS
title_sort 9 power efficiency 121 to 137ghz phase controlled push push frequency quadrupler in 0 13μm sige bicmos
topic DRNTU::Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering
url https://hdl.handle.net/10356/97989
http://hdl.handle.net/10220/13235
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