Emerging Terahertz Integrated Systems in Silicon

Abstract

Silicon-based terahertz (THz) integrated circuits (ICs) have made rapid progress over the past decade. The demonstrated basic component performance, as well as the maturity of design tools and methodologies, have made it possible to build high-complexity THz integrated systems. Such implementations are undoubtedly highly attractive due to their low cost and high integration capability; however, their unique characteristics, both advantageous and disadvantageous, also call for research investigations into unconventional systematic architectures and novel THz applications. In this paper, we review Manuscript

The MTT-S Technical Coordinating and Future Directions Committee: Promoting Our Technical Communities-2022

“…■ Suresh Venkatesh, Shamsun Nahar, Nils Weimann, and Jeffrey Hesler Figure 9. A wire-bonded die in a circuit [94]. T he mission of TC-22 is to promote activities related to microwave photonic technology and science encompassing linear and nonlinear interactions of baseband signals of MHz to mm-wave frequencies with optical signals of near infrared to long infrared up to the THz domain.…”

“…These aspects make the THz frequency range a safer choice for sensing and imaging systems targeting medical, security, and industrial quality control applications. [93], [94] High-performance THz imaging and communications systems are critical for future applications in augmented reality/virtual reality, machine-to-machine communication links, backhaul/ satellite links, and security screening imaging systems. The ability to generate, control, and manipulate mm-wave and THz spectra through integrated chip-scale platforms could potentially enable low-cost low-power massively scalable deployable systems.…”

A 1.42-mm2 0.45–0.49 THz Monostatic FMCW Radar Transceiver in 90-nm SiGe BiCMOS

“…W HEN moving towards the Terahertz (THz) region, radars will benefit from the large achievable bandwidths, leading to range resolutions in the millimeter and sub-millimeter range. Silicon-integrated technologies such as CMOS and SiGe BiCMOS are outlined [1] as a low-cost solution for mass-market THz systems that require large integration levels, which is further supported by an approximate tripling in the number of yearly silicon-based THz publications listed on IEEE Xplore during the past decade [2]. Current research has been able to maximise the f T /f max of CMOS technologies [3] to around 0.3/0.45 THz and SiGe BiCMOS [4] to 0.3/0.5 THz with individual SiGe HBTs achieving f T /f max of 0.505/0.72 THz [5].…”

A 76-Gbit/s 265-GHz CMOS Receiver With WR-3.4 Waveguide Interface

“…A standard waveguide interface offers flexibility in the choice of components, including off-the-shelf ones, to be used together, such as antennas and preamplifiers. This is an advantage over another popular approach of bonding a silicon lens on the backside of the die [30]- [33]. A price of flexibility is the comparative difficulty of implementing beam steering, but it is certainly doable [34]- [36].…”