A 16-Channel, 28/39GHz Dual-Polarized 5G FR2 Phased-Array Transceiver IC with a Quad-Stream IF Transceiver Supporting Non-Contiguous Carrier Aggregation up to 1.6GHz BW

The 5G NR frequency band 2 (FR2) standard has evolved to support mm-wave bands spanning from 24 to 40 GHz. Single-band phased-array beam-forming ICs (BFIC) [1]–[3] for 5G have been demonstrated, however, the die size is large. This paper describes a 5G BFIC that supports both N257/N258/N261 (24.25 to 29.5GHz or Low-Band) and N260 (37 to 40GHz or High-Band) FR2 bands, each with 16 antenna ports and concurrent dual polarization for RX/TX, and its corresponding quad-stream intermediate-frequency IC (IFIC), supporting non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation (CA) up to 1.6GHz total bandwidth (BW). Figure 27.1.1 shows a 5G mobile phone, where multiple (3 to 4) BFICs, integrated with antenna modules, are placed in parallel and perpendicular to the phone screen for enhanced spherical coverage. BFICs and the antenna module have a skewed aspect ratio to support phone thickness requirement. A power-management IC is integrated on the module, which further reduces area available for the BFIC. However, a traditional BFIC die-size increases in proportion to the number of bands supported, and the IFIC size grows in order to have dedicated signal paths to support multiple BFICs. This paper introduces architecture and circuits techniques to enable area-efficient design of 5G FR2 transceivers.

The 5G NR frequency band 2 (FR2) standard has evolved to support mm-wave bands spanning from 24 to 40 GHz. Single-band phased-array beam-forming ICs (BFIC) [1]–[3] for 5G have been demonstrated, however, the die size is large. This paper describes a 5G BFIC that supports both N257/N258/N261 (24.25 to 29.5GHz or Low-Band) and N260 (37 to 40GHz or High-Band) FR2 bands, each with 16 antenna ports and concurrent dual polarization for RX/TX, and its corresponding quad-stream intermediate-frequency IC (IFIC), supporting non-contiguous intra-band carrier aggregation (CA) up to 1.6GHz total bandwidth (BW). Figure 27.1.1 shows a 5G mobile phone, where multiple (3 to 4) BFICs, integrated with antenna modules, are placed in parallel and perpendicular to the phone screen for enhanced spherical coverage. BFICs and the antenna module have a skewed aspect ratio to support phone thickness requirement. A power-management IC is integrated on the module, which further reduces area available for the BFIC. However, a traditional BFIC die-size increases in proportion to the number of bands supported, and the IFIC size grows in order to have dedicated signal paths to support multiple BFICs. This paper introduces architecture and circuits techniques to enable area-efficient design of 5G FR2 transceivers.