{"title":"An Ultra-Compact Ka-Band Folded Phased-Array Transceiver Front-End With Bidirectional 20-dB Gain Control","authors":"Shiwei Wu;Dongfang Pan;Laifu Jin;Lin Cheng","doi":"10.1109/TCSII.2025.3586977","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"This brief presents an ultra-compact Ka-band phased-array transceiver front-end implemented in 65-nm CMOS technology. The proposed design integrates a folded variable gain front-end and a passive variable gain phase shifter. The variable gain front-end achieves a merged receive and transmit channel layout design with stacked 8-shaped transformers. The passive variable gain phase shifter accomplishes bidirectional gain and phase control using the attenuable matching transformer with coupling lines. The transceiver achieves a 20 dB bidirectional gain range, 360° phase control, 0.5 dB gain steps, and 5.625° phase steps, meeting the stringent requirements of phased-array systems. Measurements demonstrate a maximum RMS phase error of 3.6° and an RMS gain error of 0.41 dB over the 32.3-37.7 GHz frequency range. The core occupies just 0.345 mm2, representing a more than 50% reduction in area compared to prior designs, making it highly suitable for large-scale phased-array applications.","PeriodicalId":13101,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems II: Express Briefs","volume":"72 9","pages":"1203-1207"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems II: Express Briefs","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11073164/","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This brief presents an ultra-compact Ka-band phased-array transceiver front-end implemented in 65-nm CMOS technology. The proposed design integrates a folded variable gain front-end and a passive variable gain phase shifter. The variable gain front-end achieves a merged receive and transmit channel layout design with stacked 8-shaped transformers. The passive variable gain phase shifter accomplishes bidirectional gain and phase control using the attenuable matching transformer with coupling lines. The transceiver achieves a 20 dB bidirectional gain range, 360° phase control, 0.5 dB gain steps, and 5.625° phase steps, meeting the stringent requirements of phased-array systems. Measurements demonstrate a maximum RMS phase error of 3.6° and an RMS gain error of 0.41 dB over the 32.3-37.7 GHz frequency range. The core occupies just 0.345 mm2, representing a more than 50% reduction in area compared to prior designs, making it highly suitable for large-scale phased-array applications.
期刊介绍:
TCAS II publishes brief papers in the field specified by the theory, analysis, design, and practical implementations of circuits, and the application of circuit techniques to systems and to signal processing. Included is the whole spectrum from basic scientific theory to industrial applications. The field of interest covered includes:
Circuits: Analog, Digital and Mixed Signal Circuits and Systems
Nonlinear Circuits and Systems, Integrated Sensors, MEMS and Systems on Chip, Nanoscale Circuits and Systems, Optoelectronic
Circuits and Systems, Power Electronics and Systems
Software for Analog-and-Logic Circuits and Systems
Control aspects of Circuits and Systems.