ISBN 978-3-8439-5774-8

978-3-8439-5774-8, Reihe Elektrotechnik

Andre Engelmann
Integrated D-Band Transmitter Circuits for Multi-Modulation Radar Systems in 22 nm FDSOI

189 Seiten, Dissertation Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (2026), Softcover, A5

Zusammenfassung / Abstract

The D-band, from 110 to 170 GHz, with its wide unlicensed bandwidth, is an attractive frequency range for advancing short-range radar systems. A digital-intensive alternative to the frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) architecture are phase-modulated continuous-wave (PMCW) radars, which determine the target distance by correlating the received signal with a defined pseudo-random binary sequence (PRBS), which modulated onto a constant carrier frequency. Both radar architectures require a large signal bandwidth to achieve fine radial range resolution, highlighting the advantage of operating in the D-band. Advanced nm-scale CMOS technologies offer a dense integration level and low volume manufacturing costs. However, the high influence of parasitic elements and low supply and breakdown voltages limit the performance and efficiency of CMOS circuitry operating at D-band. This thesis addresses the challenges of CMOS technology for implementing D-band transmitter (TX) circuits for MIMO radar systems. The TX shall support PMCW and FMCW radar operation, requiring the co-integration of a high-performance mm-wave front-end along with digital baseband circuitry, making 22 nm FDSOI CMOS a convenient technology choice. The thesis investigates integration techniques for compact and energy-efficient D-band power amplifiers (PAs) and broadband binary phase-modulators required for PMCW operation. Furthermore, the signal generation chain for the D-band carrier is presented, comprising a times-four frequency multiplier and a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO). A dual-channel TX module is demonstrated, and its PMCW and FMCW performance is characterized by measurement. A maximum PMCW chip rate of 20 Gb/s is achieved using a 140 GHz carrier, and in the FMCW mode, a chirp bandwidth of 19.4 GHz can be covered. The attainable radial distance resolution is 7.5 mm and 7.7 mm for PMCW and FMCW, respectively, while consuming less than 270 mW DC power.