0.61THz Radiating Source with On-Chip Antenna on 65nm CMOS

This paper presents a 615GHz radiating source (609-624GHz) based on a differential Colpitts oscillator with an on-chip antenna in 65nm CMOS. The source radiates the 5th harmonic of the oscillation frequency, which is also generated in the voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) itself due to its large voltage signal. An integrated loop antenna serves also as the load inductance at the drains of the VCO core transistors, acting as a choke at the fundamental tone and a matched antenna at the 5th harmonic. This radiating source achieves a total radiated power (TRP) of -23dBm, an EIRP of -13.7dBm with DC-consumption of 17mW from 1.4V DC supply and a silicon area of 0.164mm(2). Its peak EIRP and total radiated power are the highest among all lens-less silicon based signal generation circuits operating at frequencies beyond 550GHz.