A 9-81/38-189 Ghz Dual-Band Switchable Dynamic Frequency Divider

A 9-81/38-189 GHz dual-band divide-by-2 dynamic frequency divider is presented. The band switching is performed by switching a capacitance using PIN diodes. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first band switching dynamic divider reported so far at such high frequencies. The divider is based on the regenerative frequency division principle followed by a buffer that can deliver -15.7dBm and -10dBm output power at 189GHz and 9GHz input frequency, respectively, which is sufficient to drive succeeding stages. The correct functionality of the divider over its entire operating frequency range is verified with lab measurements. The circuit is realized in a 130nm SiGe BiCMOS technology with f(T)=250 GHz.