Millimeter-wave Beamforming IC and Antenna Modules with Bi-directional Transceiver Architecture

Millimeter-wave (mmW) communication is expected to provide high-speed data services in 5G (fifth-generation mobile communication system). Phased array antennas are essential for overcoming large path loss and less diffraction, and for utilizing mmW effectively. A low-cost and compact mmW phased array module integrating antennas and beamformer integration circuits (BFICs) is a key device for widespread use of mmW in 5G. This paper describes mmW phased-array transceiver implementation techniques including BFIC and antenna module. The BFIC employs area-efficient neutralized bi-directional technique which shares the circuit chain between TX and RX modes. Using the developed 28GHz BF ICs with 65-nm CMOS technology, the two types of phased array antenna modules, i.e., antenna on board (AoB) and antenna in package (AiP), are developed. A 64-element dual-polarized 28 GHz phased array AoB achieves a peak EIRP of 52.2 dBm and EVM of 3.2% at 64QAM for 5G NR. A 4-element phased array AiP with wafer level package (WLP) has an extremely low profile and high scalability applicable to various types of 5G devices. © 2023 NEC Mediaproducts. All rights reserved.