A compact and fully integrated 0.48THz FMCW radar transceiver combined with a dielectric lens

Electronic measurement systems in the THz frequency range are often bulky and expensive devices. While some compact single-chip systems operating in the high millimeter-wave frequency range have recently been published, compact measurement systems in the low THz frequency range are still rare. The emergence of new silicon-germanium (SiGe) semiconductor technologies allow the integration of system components, like oscillators, frequency multipliers, frequency dividers, and antennas, operating in the low THz frequency range, into a compact monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC), which contains most components to implement a low-cost and compact frequency-modulated continuous-wave-radar transceiver. This article presents a single transceiver solution containing all necessary components. It introduces a 0.48THz0.48THz radar transceiver MMIC with a tuning range of 43GHz43GHz and an output power of up to -9.4dBm-9.4dBm in the SG13G3 130nm130nm SiGe technology by IHP. The MMIC is complemented by a dielectric lens antenna design consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene, providing up to 39.3dBi39.3dBi of directivity and half-power beam widths of 0.95(degrees) in transmit and receive direction. The suppression of clutter from unwanted targets deviating from antenna boresight more than 6(degrees) is higher than 24.6dB24.6dB in E- and H-Plane.