A SiGe BiCMOS 24-GHz receiver front-end for automotive short-range radar

This paper presents a fully integrated SiGe BiCMOS 24-GHz receiver front-end implemented for a ultra-wideband automotive short-range radar sensor. The circuit consists of a homodyne I/Q down-converter and a 24-GHz synthesizer. The receiver front-end is able to achieve a power conversion gain as high as 30 dB and a 6-dB noise figure, while preserving high linearity performance thanks to a 1-bit gain control. The frequency synthesizer, which also includes an on-chip loop filter, guarantees a phase noise of −104 dBc/Hz at 1-MHz offset from the 24.125-GHz carrier and a 4.7-GHz tuning range from 20.4 to 25.1 GHz.