120 GHz Transceivers

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Front End Status of IC Package Antenna Solutions Evaluation / Sensor Typical Applications

Single Channel Transceiver

  • Series production

SiRad Easy®
SiRad Simple®

Range Finding, Interface Measurement,
Level Probing, Position Finding,
Presence Detection, Speed Measurement,
Vibration Detection, Non-destructive Testing,
Positioning, Surface Profiling,
Vital Sign Detection

Single Channel Transceiver

  • Series production

SiRad Easy®
SiRad Simple®

Range Finding, Level Probing,
Position Finding, Presence Detection,
Speed Measurement, Vibration Detection,
Non-destructive Testing, Positioning,
Vital Sign Detection

Ultra Wideband Single Channel Transceiver

  • TRX_120_012
  • TRA_120_031
  • Samples available
  • TRL 4

SiRad Easy®

Pressure Measurement, Temperature Measurement,
Non-destructive Testing, Positioning,
Surface Profiling, Thickness Measurement

Multi Channel Transceiver

  • TR2_120_017
  • In development
  • Inquire for schedule/availability
  • TRL 4

SiRad Easy® (6)

Motion Detection, Shape Detection

(1) Qualified after JEDEC; MSL
(2) Under investigation
(3) Incl. lens (Si / 3D-printed)
(4) Patented assembly solution
(5) In silicon, completely moulded
(6) Under Development


1 TRX_120_001

TRX 120GHz wiki.jpg

The RFE is an integrated transceiver circuit for the 122-GHz ISM band with antennas in the QFN 8x8 package. It includes a low-noise amplifier (LNA), quadrature mixers, a poly-phase filter, a voltage controlled oscillator, divide-by-32 outputs, and transmit and receive antennas. The RF signal from the oscillator is directed to the RX path via buffer circuits. The RX signal is amplified by the LNA and converted to the baseband by two mixers with a quadrature local oscillator (LO). The 120-GHz LO has four analog tuning inputs with different tuning ranges and tuning slopes. The tuning inputs can be combined to obtain a wide frequency tuning range. The analog tuning inputs together with integrated frequency divider and external fractional-N PLL can be used for frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar operation. With fixed oscillator frequency it can be used in continuous wave (CW) mode. Other modulation schemes are possible as well by utilizing analog tuning inputs. The IC is fabricated in SG13S SiGe BiCMOS technology [1].

The main application field of the 120-GHz transceiver radar frontend is in short-range radar systems with a range up to some 10 meters. By using dielectric lenses, the range can be increased considerably. The RFE can be used in FMCW mode as well as in CW mode. Although the chip is intended for use in the ISM band 122 GHz - 123 GHz, it is also possible to extend the bandwidth to the full tuning range of 7 GHz.

2 TRX_120_002

The radar-front end (RFE) is an integrated transceiver circuit for the 120 GHz ISM band with antennas on-chip in a QFN 5x5 package. It includes a low-noise amplifier (LNA), quadrature mixers, poly-phase filter, voltage controlled oscillator with digital band switching, divide-by-32 outputs, and transmit and receive antennas. The RF-signal from the oscillator is directed to the RX path via buffer circuits. The RX signal is amplified by an LNA and converted to baseband in two mixers with quadrature LO. The 120 GHz oscillator has three analog coarse tuning inputs and one analog fine-tuning input. The tuning inputs can be combined to obtain a large tuning range and large bandwidth. The analog tuning inputs together with integrated frequency divider and external fractional-N PLL can be used for frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar operation. With fixed oscillator frequency it can be used in continuous wave (CW) mode. Other modulation schemes are possible as well by utilizing analog tuning inputs. The IC is fabricated in IHP SG13S SiGe BiCMOS technology [2].

The main application field of the 120 GHz transceiver RFE is in short-range radar systems. With the use of dielectric lenses, the range can be increased considerably. The RFE can be used in FMCW mode as well in CW-mode. Although the chip is intended for use in ISM band 122 GHz - 123 GHz, it is also possible to extend the bandwidth to the full tuning range of almost 7 GHz.

3 FAQ: TRX_120_00*

Please see FAQs page for frequently asked questions and TRA_120_002 SiRad front end datasheet [3].