A 0.39–0.44 THz 2x4 Amplifier-Quadrupler Array With Peak EIRP of 3–4 dBm

This paper presents a CMOS amplifier-multiplier-antenna array capable of generating an EIRP of 3-4 dBm at 420 GHz. The chip is built using a 45-nm CMOS SOI process, and efficient on-chip antennas are used to extract the power out of the chip. The design is based on a 90-110 GHz distribution network with splitters and amplifiers, and a balanced quadrupler capable of delivering up > 100 μW of power at 370-430 GHz. The amplifier-multiplier concept is proven on a 2×4 array, and it can be also scaled to any N×M array using additional W-band splitters and amplifiers.

I. Introduction

Silicon terahertz (THz) systems are an active area of research for passive and active imaging applications, and communication and sensor systems [1]–[16]. Most of the work in THz is done in the 100–300-GHz range, but some researchers have pushed imaging systems, receivers, and transmitters to with varied results [2]–[8]. The main issue of silicon THz systems is that the operating frequency is higher (or very close) to the transistor and , which precludes the use of amplifiers at these frequencies. Therefore, most systems are based on direct detectors (imaging), mixers (receivers), or multipliers (transmitters) [2], [5], [8].