25.9-Gb/s 259-GHz Phased-Array CMOS Receiver Module with 28° Steering Range.

A phased-array CMOS receiver (RX) module operating at around 260 GHz is presented. It combines a 1D phased array fabricated on a printed circuit board (PCB) with a mechanically steered antenna. In this phased-array system, due to chip size and antenna pitch constraints, down-converter chips are mounted in a staggered arrangement against waveguide transitions arranged in one dimension. The output signals from the chips are combined by rat-race couplers, Wilkinson power combiners, and transmission lines on the PCB. The components for LO signal supply are mounted on the opposite side to the chip mounting surface. The phased-array CMOS RX module achieves a wireless data rate of 25.9 Gb/s with a steering range of 28°.