Compact Heterogeneous Integration for Next Generation High Frequency Scalable Array with Miniaturized and Efficient Power Delivery Network

Abstract: Next generation communication and sensing require enabling technologies for miniaturized and efficient heterogeneous systems while integrating technologies ranging from silicon to compound semiconductors and from photonic chips to micro-sensors. To this end, high frequency and mm-wave (MMW) lossy parasitics and delay between modules need to be significantly reduced to minimize area, loss and thermal heating of inter-chip wiring and power delivery networks. In this work, we propose novel approaches to achieve an efficient wideband MMW array integrations. The proposed techniques are built upon the following: 1) fixed antenna package buildup for every element with differential excitation on two half sides of array to reduce the fabrication cost and the IC-to-antenna routing loss; 2) miniaturized aperture coupled local oscillator (LO) and intermediate frequency (IF) power delivery feed distribution to minimize the packaging stacked layers and their loss. The proposed 16-element antenna array is integrated which 4 dies in 2x2 configurations implemented in a 90-nm SiGe BiCMOS process using compact Weaver image-selection architecture (WISA). The proposed miniaturized and efficient architecture from circuit and chip level to package level results in 1.5 GHz modulation bandwidth for 64 QAM (9 Gb/s) and 2 GHz for 16 QAM with only +-2 dB EVM variation over the 20% FBW (71-86 GHz). The system produces 30-dBm EIRP with enhanced efficiency of 25% EIRP/PDC over the bandwidth