Compact quadrature receiver for 24 GHz radar applications in 0.13 µm CMOS

Abstract

A compact low-noise quadrature receiver for 24 GHz ISM applications in 0.13 mm CMOS technology is presented. The chip offers a conversion gain of 18 dB and a noise figure of 5 dB. The differential circuit consumes only 24 mW from a single 1.5 V supply. The low-noise amplifier, two mixers and on-chip quadrature generation are integrated on a minimal chip area of 0.48 mm 2 including pads.Introduction: The unlicensed industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) frequency band at 24 GHz gains growing attention for realisation of low-cost sensors for industrial, automotive or consumer applications. The constant demand for the lowest bill of materials requires system on a chip (SOC) solutions integrating analogue, digital and RF blocks. The promising high-frequency performance, high-level integration capability, along with inexpensive mask costs, make the standard 0.13 mm CMOS technology the optimal alternative for realisation of mass-market microwave sensors.Several publications report integrated receivers in CMOS consisting of a single low-noise amplifier (LNA) and a mixer [1, 2], while others concentrate on integration of complex large area phased arrays for wireless communications [3]. This Letter presents a quadrature receiver front-end in 0.13 mm CMOS optimised for a low noise performance at a lowest chip area. The circuit includes an LNA, two mixers and on-chip in-phase and quadrature (IQ) phase generation from an external local oscillator (LO) signal. The implementation of an IQ receive path provides unambiguous phase data, required for frequency-stepped continuous wave or for pulsed radar. The presented receiver is suitable for integration in radar sensors for automotive or industrial radar applications at the ISM band at 24 GHz.

Low‐power 24 GHz CMOS receiver front‐end using isolation enhancement technique for automatic radar systems

“…In the past, III–V semiconductor technologies were adopted in most of the applications for K‐band (18–26 GHz) and above. Recently, thanks to the rapid development of CMOS processes, it has become possible to use the cost effective 0.18 μm CMOS technology to implement receiver front‐end for K‐band wireless communication systems [1–7].…”