From RF to MMW and THz silicon SoC technologies (RF2THZ)

Themes: Characterization and modelling up to sub THz, RF electronics

To meet the needs of future radio frequency (RF) and high-speed equipment, the CATRENE RF2THz project aims to develop silicon technology platforms for emerging RF, millimetre-wave (MMW) and THz consumer applications such as 77/120 GHz automotive radars, MMW imaging and sensing, fast measurement equipment, 60 GHz wireless networking and fast downloading systems, 400 Gbit/s fibre optics data communications systems, 4G photonic mobile communications and high performance RF wireless communication systems as well as two-way satellite communications systems. It also targets MMW and THz applications in health science, materials science, genetic screening, security and industrial automation.

RF2THZ SISOC will involve development of new bipolar plus CMOS (BiCMOS) technologies. For this purpose, one of the partners will integrate and optimise silicon-germanium (SiGe) heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) and back-end modules developed in previous projects in an advanced 55 nm CMOS technology. This will make possible a 0.5 THz 55 nm SiGe BiCMOS platform suitable for RF, MMW and THz system-on-chip. After optimisation, characterisation of the THz, MMW and RF components will be carried out and models will be adapted and model parameters extracted. Design blocks will be developed both for full function integration and for design-for-test (DfT) or built-in self-test (BIST) introduction and full demonstrators will be assembled. Exploration of some promising advanced applications will also take place.

See project brochure.

For more information, see the project homepage.