Analysis and design of an innovative 19.5 GHz active phase shifter architecture, implemented in a 0.13 μm BiCMOS SiGe:C process, for beamforming in 5G applications

This work presents the circuit design and implementation of a 19.5 GHz active phase shifter for beamforming in 5G applications. The proposed circuit is based on an original architecture using an injection-locked voltage-controlled oscillator (ILVCO) associated with a polyphase filter followed by a phase selection circuit and its sign. From a 1.3 V supply voltage, the proposed circuit is designed to obtain a phase shift in the range of 360°. This phase shifter is synthesised using the phase selection circuit (PS) for coarse adjustment in the steps of 90° and the injection-locked VCO for a fine-tuning adjustment between ±45°. Post layout simulation results obtained described the performance of the circuit for beamforming in 5G applications. The circuit consumed a total current of 19.4 mA with a chip size of 1.58 mm ² including the pads and it is integrated in a BiCMOS SiGe:C 0.13 μm process.