基于液晶的太赫兹反射式波束扫描天线

提出了一种基于液晶的太赫兹电控反射式移相器及其构成的波束扫描阵列天线。通过采用液晶调控的开槽结构移相器,解决了液晶调控过程中谐振层覆盖面不足造成的液晶取向不均、边缘效应和饱和电压增大等问题。设计了工作在380 GHz三开槽的移相器,对谐振频点的表面电流分布和谐振频点进行了仿真分析。数值计算结果表明当液晶相对介电常数在2.47~3.26范围内变化,377~392 GHz频率范围内移相器能够实现360°的相移。采用三开槽结构反射相移单元,设计了工作于380 GHz的电控波束扫描阵列天线,实现了30°范围内的一维波束扫描,主瓣增益大于20 dBi。     

Terahertz Frequency-Domain Spectroscopy of Low-Pressure Acetonitrile Gas by a Photomixing Terahertz Synthesizer Referenced to Dual Optical Frequency Combs

A terahertz (THz) frequency synthesizer based on photomixing of two near-infrared lasers with a sub-THz to THz frequency offset is a powerful tool for spectroscopy of polar gas molecules due to its broad spectral coverage; however, its frequency accuracy and resolution are relatively low. To tune the output frequency continuously and widely while maintaining its traceability to a frequency standard, we developed a photomixing THz synthesizer phase-locked to dual optical frequency combs (OFCs). While the phase-locking to dual OFCs ensured continuous tuning within a spectral range of 120 GHz, in addition to the traceability to the frequency standard, use of a broadband uni-traveling carrier photodiode for photomixing enabled the generation of CW-THz radiation within a frequency range from 0.2 to 1.5 THz. We demonstrated THz frequency-domain spectroscopy of gas-phase acetonitrile CH₃CN and its isotope CH₃ ¹³CN in the frequency range of 0.600–0.720 THz using this THz synthesizer. Their rotational transitions were assigned with a frequency accuracy of 8.42?×?10^?8 and a frequency resolution of 520 kHz. Furthermore, the concentration of the CH₃CN gas at 20 Pa was determined to be (5.41?±?0.05)?×?10¹⁴ molecules/cm³ by curve fitting analysis of the measured absorbance spectrum, and the mixture ratio of the mixed CH₃CN/CH₃ ¹³CN gas was determined to be 1:2.26 with a gas concentration of 10¹⁴–10¹⁵ molecules/cm³. The developed THz synthesizer is highly promising for high-precision THz-FDS of low-pressure molecular gases and will enable the qualitative and quantitative analyses of multiple gases.     

一种S频段反射型可调模拟移相器的设计

设计了一种应用于S频段卫星通信相控阵系统的反射型可调模拟移相器。该移相器利用三分支线定向耦合器扩展了带宽,改善了工作频段内驻波;采用传输线和变容二极管构成的L型反射负载扩大了相移量。测试结果表明,在上行频段1.98～2.01 GHz内,相移量达到191°±1°,在下行频段2.17～2.2 GHz内,相移量达到186°±0.1°;插入损耗优于3.3 dB且插入损耗波动小于1 dB,回波损耗在整个电压调谐范围内均大于20 dB。该移相器结构简单、便于调节且价格低廉,在卫星通信领域有一定的应用价值。     

Ultra-compact 1 × 8 Channel terahertz Wave Power Splitter

Relying on 1?×?2 photonic crystal waveguide and photonic crystal resonator, a compact eight-channel terahertz wave power splitter is proposed. The mechanism of such a device is further theoretically analyzed and numerically investigated with the aid of the plane wave expansion method and the finite-difference time-domain method. With an appropriate design, the proposed power splitter can split the input terahertz wave energy equally into eight output ports at the frequency of 0.667 THz. Furthermore, the total size of the present device is of 4.33 mm?×?3.74 mm. Due to its small size, the multi-channel terahertz wave power splitter has practical applications in the terahertz wave integrated circuit fields.     

Compact High-Repetition-Rate Monochromatic Terahertz Source Based on Difference Frequency Generation from a Dual-Wavelength Nd:YAG Laser and DAST Crystal

Although high-repetition-rate dual-wavelength Nd:YAG lasers at 1319 and 1338 nm have been realized for quite a long time, we have employed it in generating monochromatic terahertz (THz) wave in this paper for the first time. The dual-wavelength laser was LD-end-pumped and acousto-optically (AO) Q-switched with the output power of watt level operating at different repetition rates from 5.5 to 30 kHz. Using a 0.6-mm-thick organic nonlinear crystal DAST for difference frequency generation (DFG), a compact terahertz source was achieved at 3.28 THz. The maximum average output power was about 0.58 μW obtained at a repetition rate of 5.5 kHz, corresponding to the conversion efficiency of about 6.4?×?10^?7. The output power scaling is still feasible with higher pump power and a longer nonlinear DFG crystal. Owing to the compactness of the dual-wavelength laser and the nonlinear crystal, a palm-top terahertz source is expected for portable applications such as imaging and so on.     

CMOS phase-shifting circuits for wireless beamforming transmitters

Two phase-shifting techniques for wireless beamforming transmitter applications are presented. The first performs quadrant selection using phase-offset local oscillators and fine-grain phase-shifting using RF phase shifters; a 5.2 GHz narrowband phase shifter is designed and fabricated in the CMOS subset of a 0.25 μm SiGe BiCMOS process. Using a tunable all-pass filter topology, it achieves a wide phase-shift range with low loss, and minimizes the number of on-chip passive elements. Measurement results show an insertion loss of 2 dB, an IIP3 of 1 dBm, and a total phase-shift range of 240°; power consumption of the core circuitry is 36.3 mW from a 2.5 V supply. The second approach, a phase-shifting up-converter based on Cartesian combining, achieves a 360° phase shift range that is independent of the operating frequency. Fabricated in 0.18 μm CMOS, it achieves 8 dB conversion gain, 4 dBm OP1 dB, 28 dB sideband rejection, and a 360° phase-shift range at 5.2 GHz without the explicit use of RF phase shifters. The power consumption of its core circuitry is 46.5 mW.     

基于开口谐振环的毫米波差分移相器设计

该文提出了一种工作于30～32 GHz的毫米波差分移相器,其尺寸为30 mm×18 mm×0.127 mm。该移相器以微带线为基础进行设计,由中心圆环及一对开口谐振环(SRR)共同组成。通过改变中心圆环的半径大小实现在工作频段内的S参数优化。以参考线的输出相位为基准,通过改变开口谐振环半径依次实现22.5°、45°、90°的差分移相。结果表明,在所设计的频段内,该移相器的回波损耗小于-10 dB,插入损耗小于1.4 dB,仿真最大移相误差小于5°。该移相器结构简单,便于制造。通过实物样品测试,验证了其仿真结果的可靠性。     

A 60 GHz receiver front-end with PLL based phase controlled LO generation for phased-arrays

This paper presents a front-end architecture for fully integrated 60 GHz phased array receivers. It employs LO-path beamforming using a phase controlled phase-locked loop (PC-PLL). To demonstrate the architecture a circuit is implemented featuring a two stage low noise amplifier, two cascaded active mixers, and a PC-PLL. The receiver downconverts the 60 GHz signal in two steps, using LO signals from the 20 GHz QVCO of the PLL. A differential 2nd-order harmonic is coupled from the sources of the current commutating pairs of the QVCO, feeding the LO-port of the first mixer and downconverting the 60 GHz RF signal to a 20 GHz intermediate frequency. Quadrature 20 GHz LO signals are then used in the second mixer to down-convert the IF signal to baseband. The PLL is locked to a relatively high reference frequency, 1.25 GHz, which reduces the size of the PLL loop filter and enables a compact layout. The measurements show an input return loss better than ?10 dB between 57.5 and 60.8 GHz, a 15 dB voltage gain, and a 9 dB noise figure. Two-tone measurements show ?12.5 dBm IIP3, 29 dBm IIP2, and ?24 dBm ICP1. The PC-PLL phase noise is ?105 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset from a 20 GHz carrier, and the phase of the received 60 GHz signal is digitally controllable with a resolution of 3.2°, covering the full 360° range with a phase error smaller than 1°. The chip consumes 80 mA from a 1.2 V supply, and measures 1,400 μm × 660 μm (900 μm × 500 μm excluding pads) including LNAs, mixers, and PC-PLL in a 90 nm RF CMOS process.     

基于加载线型的平面太赫兹移相器设计

移相器是相控阵系统中的重要组成器件,随着频率的增加,金属的趋肤深度及波导表面粗糙度对器件的影响不可忽略,会使移相器的损耗增加。对此,提出一种基于加载线型的平面太赫兹移相器。将2个枝节并联在微带线上,在并联枝节上加载开关二极管,调节两段枝节的电长度得到所需的移相量;控制开关的导通和断开,实现不同的移相角度。仿真结果表明,在192~210 GHz频带范围内,导通和断开的反射系数都小于-10 dB,插入损耗小于0.5 dB,移相误差小于5°,其中在5 GHz带宽范围内,移相误差小于1°。提出的平面型移相器,加工容易,成本低,便于系统集成化,在太赫兹相控阵系统中具有广泛的应用前景。     

Enhancement of Real-Time THz Imaging System Based on 320 × 240 Uncooled Microbolometer Detector

A real-time terahertz (THz) imaging system was demonstrated based on a 320?×?240 uncooled microbolometer detector combined with a 2.52 THz far-infrared CO₂ laser. On the top of micro-bridge structure (35?×?35 μm²), a 10 nm nickel-chromium (NiCr) thin film was deposited to enhance THz absorption, which was fabricated by a combined process of magnetron sputtering and reactive ion etching (RIE). By mechanical simulation using design of experiment (DOE) method, the minimum deformation was optimized to 0.0385 μm, and a measured deformation of 0.097 μm was achieved in the fabrication. The fabricated micro-bridge pixel was used for THz detection, and a responsivity of 1235 V/W was achieved with a noise equivalent power (NEP) of 87.4 pW/Hz^1/2. THz imaging of metal gasket covered by label paper, paper clip in an envelope, and watermark of a banknote was demonstrated by a combination of histogram equalization (HE) and linear enhancement algorithm.     

Temperature Dependence of Crystal Structure and THz Absorption Spectra of Organic Nonlinear Optical Stilbazolium Material for High-Output THz-Wave Generation

A stilbazolium material comprising 4-dimethylamino-N′-methyl-4′-stilbazolium tosylate (DAST), which has a large nonlinear optical susceptibility, was studied for application in terahertz (THz)-wave generation. The temperature-dependent structure of the DAST crystal was measured by using powder X-ray diffraction from ?100 to 200 °C, indicating a volume expansion of 4.6 %. The lattice constants show anisotropic thermal expansion. Also, the temperature dependence of THz absorption spectra was measured by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) in the temperature range varying from ?80 to 88.1 °C. A strong absorption peak was found at around 1 THz, shifting slightly toward a lower frequency with increasing temperature. The temperature dependence of the THz spectra was compared with that of X-ray diffraction. The shifting of THz-vibrational frequencies of the DAST crystal suggests that the change in its lattice structure is temperature dependent.     

Analysis and numerical simulation of a Ku-band analog reflection phase shifter based on radio-frequency microelectromechanical varactors

The topology of a Ku-band reflection phase shifter with microelectromechanical varactors as tunable elements is presented. The phase shifter dimensions are 4 × 4.85 mm. Its calculated operating frequency is 14 GHz, the 1-dB-loss bandwidth is 700 MHz, and the phase shift over the bandwidth is no less than 145 deg.     

A 60 GHz 360° 5-bit digitally controlled high-pass/direct-pass T-type phase shifter using nMOS body-floating switch

A 57–66 GHz 5-bit digitally controlled high-pass/direct-pass T-type phase shifter (PS) is presented in this paper in a 65 nm LP CMOS technology. Influence of body connection manners on insertion loss (IL) of nMOS switches in high-pass/direct-pass T-type PS is carefully investigated. Using body-floating technique, both low IL and excellent IL flatness are achieved simultaneously. The minimum and maximum IL are 8.8 and 17 dB, respectively, with a maximum IL flatness of ±1 dB and a maximum root mean square (rms) gain error of 1.6 dB across 57–66 GHz. The proposed PS also achieves a maximum rms phase error of 3.9°, a minimum input 1 dB power compression point (IP_?1 dB) of 13 dBm, while shows well matching characteristics, with both S11 and S22 of less than ?8.5 dB across 57–66 GHz for every phase shifting state.     

Compact Tunable Narrowband Terahertz-Wave Source Based on Difference Frequency Generation Pumped by Dual Fiber Lasers in MgO:LiNbO<Subscript>3</Subscript>

We demonstrate a high-average-power, single longitudinal-mode, and tunable terahertz (THz)-wave source based on difference frequency generation (DFG) in a MgO:LiNbO₃ (MgO:LN) crystal. The waves for DFG are generated using a pair of Yb-doped pulsed fiber lasers with a master oscillator power fiber amplifier configuration. The average power of the THz-wave output reaches 450 μW at 1.07 THz (280 μm) at a linewidth of 7.2 GHz, and the tunability ranges from 0.35 to 1.07 THz under the pulse repetition frequency of 500 kHz. A short burn-in test of the THz wave is also carried out, and the output power stability is within ± 5% of the averaged power without any active stabilizing technique. The combination of MgO:LN-DFG and stable and robust fiber laser sources is highly promising for the development of high-average-power THz-wave sources, particularly in the high transmission sub-THz region. This approach may enable new applications of THz-wave spectroscopy in imaging and remote sensing.     

一种6~18 GHz宽带高精度有源移相器

设计了一种6 bit 6~18 GHz工作频段的宽带高精度有源移相器。片上集成了输入无源巴伦、逻辑编码器、RC多相滤波器、矢量合成单元、数控单元等。该移相器的设计采用55 nm CMOS工艺实现,芯片尺寸为1.29 mm×0.9 mm,移相器核心尺寸为1.02 mm×0.58 mm。后仿结果表明,在6~18 GHz频率范围内,增益误差RMS值小于1 dB,相位误差RMS值小于0.75°,输入回波损耗、输出回波损耗分别小于-8.5 dB、-8.9 dB,芯片总功耗为20.7 mW。该6 bit移相器的相对带宽为100%,覆盖C、X和Ku波段,适用于雷达探测等领域。     

Ku波段GaAs单片集成移相器

本文报道了一种工作在16.0～17.0GHz单片集成180°的移相器.文中通过对无源工作的GaAs MESFET的建模,分析了影响移相器性能的主要参数,以及这些参数的最佳取值.制作在2.45×2.80×0.2mm芯片上的移相器其参数为:插损小于4.03dB,输入电压驻波比小于1.66,输出电压驻波比小于1.71,相移偏差在12.5°以内.     

A Ku‐Band 5‐Bit Phase Shifter Using Compensation Resistors for Reducing the Insertion Loss Variation

This paper describes the performance of a Ku‐band 5‐bit monolithic phase shifter with metal semiconductor field effect transistor (MESFET) switches and the implementation of a ceramic packaged phase shifter for phase array antennas. Using compensation resistors reduced the insertion loss variation of the phase shifter. Measurement of the 5‐bit phase shifter with a monolithic microwave integrated circuit demonstrated a phase error of less than 7.5° root‐mean‐square (RMS) and an insertion loss variation of less than 0.9 dB RMS for 13 to 15 GHz. For all 32 states of the developed 5‐bit phase shifter, the insertion losses were 8.2 ± 1.4 dB, the input return losses were higher than 7.7 dB, and the output return losses were higher than 6.8 dB for 13 to 15 GHz. The chip size of the 5‐bit monolithic phase shifter with a digital circuit for controlling all five bits was 2.35 mm × 1.65 mm. The packaged phase shifter demonstrated a phase error of less than 11.3° RMS, measured insertion losses of 12.2 ± 2.2 dB, and an insertion loss variation of 1.0 dB RMS for 13 to 15 GHz. For all 32 states, the input return losses were higher than 5.0 dB and the output return losses were higher than 6.2 dB for 13 to 15 GHz. The size of the packaged phase shifter was 7.20 mm × 6.20 mm.     

An X-band 22.5°/45° digital phase shifter based on switched filter networks

The design approach and performance of a 22.5°/45°digital phase shifter based on a switched filter network for X-band phased arrays are described. Both the MMIC phase shifters are fabricated employing a 0.25μm gate GaAs pHEMT process and share in the same chip size of 0.82×1.06 mm². The measurement results of the proposed phase shifters over the whole operating frequency range show that the phase shift error is less than 22.5°±2.5°, 45°±3.5°, which shows an excellent agreement with the simulated performance, the insertion loss is within the range of 0.9-1.2 dB for the 22.5°phase shifter and 0.9-1.4 dB for the 45°phase shifter, and the input/output return loss is better than -12.5 and -11 dB respectively. They also achieve the similar P_1dB continuous wave power handing capability of 24.8 dBm at 10 GHz. The phase shifters show a good phase shift error, insertion loss and return loss in the X-band (40%), which can be employed into the wide bandwidth multi-bit digital phase shifter.     

A Tri-Band Frequency Selective Surface (FSS) to Diplex Widely Separated Bands for Millimeter Wave Remote Sensing

A substrate-backed frequency selective surface (FSS) is presented for diplexing the widely separated frequency spectrum centered at 55, 89, and 183 GHz with varying bandwidth for spatial separation in the quasi-optical feed network of the millimeter wave sounder. A unit cell composed of a crossed dipole integrated with a circular ring and loaded inside a square ring is optimized for tri-band frequency response with transmission window at 89 GHz and rejection windows at 55 and 183 GHz. The reflection and transmission losses predicted for the optimized unit cell (728 μm?×?728 μm) composed of dissimilar resonant shapes is less than 0.5 dB for transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) polarizations and wide angle of incidence (0°–45°). The FSS is fabricated on a 175-μm-thick quartz substrate using microfabrication techniques. The transmission characteristics measured with continuous wave (CW) terahertz transmit receive system are in good agreement with the numerical simulations.     

Room-Temperature Oscillation of Resonant Tunneling Diodes close to 2 THz and Their Functions for Various Applications

Compact and coherent source is a key component for various applications of the terahertz (THz) wave. We report on our recent results of THz oscillators using resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs). To achieve high-frequency oscillation, the electron delay time of RTD was reduced with a narrow quantum well and an optimized collector spacer thickness. Conduction loss at the air bridge connecting RTD and slot antenna, which works as a resonator and a radiator, was also reduced. By these structures, a fundamental oscillation up to 1.92 THz was obtained at room temperature. Theoretical calculation shows that an oscillation over 2 THz is further expected by improved structures of RTD and antenna. Using the offset slot antenna and two-element array configuration, high output power of 0.61 mW was obtained at 620 GHz. A direct intensity modulation of RTD oscillators up to 30 GHz, which is useful for high-speed wireless data transmission, was demonstrated. By the integration of a varactor diode, wide frequency sweep of 580–700 GHz in a single device and 580–900 GHz in a four-element array were also demonstrated. This result expands possible applications of RTD oscillators.