Multiple-Antenna CMOS Receiver Operates At 60 GHz

The company has unveiled its prototype of a 60-GHz, multiple-antenna receiver designed on a standard digital CMOS process, avoiding the extra cost of alternative technologies or dedicated RF process options. The prototype addresses the high path losses at mm-wave frequencies by implementing a programmable phase shift of various incoming signals. It contains two antenna paths, each with its own low-noise amplifier and down-conversion mixer. Programmable phase shift is performed on the same chip, starting from the quadrature signals of an on-chip quadrature voltage-controlled oscillator. According to the company, its multiple antenna receiver is the first step towards a complete CMOS-based phased array transceiver for 60-GHz wireless personal area networks that envisage multi-gigabit-per-second applications such as fast kiosk downloading, wireless high-definition multimedia interfaces, and other applications. IMEC, Leuven, Belgium. +32 16 28 12 11. IMEC INC., San Jose, CA. (408) 551-4501.