Design and characterization of integrated millimeter-wave radio front-end circuits for high-speed wireless communication and radiometric receivers

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School of Electrical Engineering | Doctoral thesis (article-based) | Defence date: 2025-08-22
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Authors

Date

2025

Department

Elektroniikan ja nanotekniikan laitos
Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering

Major/Subject

Mcode

Degree programme

Language

en

Pages

96 + app. 55

Series

Aalto University publication series Doctoral Theses, 141/2025

Abstract

This thesis presents the design and characterization of millimeter-wave monolithic active and passive circuits for high-speed wireless communication and radiometric receiver systems. The work focuses on the development of key components—low-noise amplifiers (LNAs), power amplifiers (PAs), a high-gain phase shifter chain, and a receiver front-end—intended for integration into largescale phased-array systems and radiometric receivers operating in the 200–300 GHz range. The research contributions are supported by six peer-reviewed publications. The design challenges and limitations associated with mm-wave passive and active components in 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS technology are systematically addressed. Various transmission line structures, including microstrip and coplanar waveguides, are modeled using EM simulation. Additional passive components such as Lange couplers, on-chip transformers, and GSG RF pads with compensation structures are optimized and employed in circuit-level implementations. Modeling techniques for transistors operating at high mm-wave frequencies are also presented. Among the active components, an E-band Doherty PA utilizing microstrip and slow-wave transmission lines is developed to improve back-off efficiency. A seven-stage LNA fabricated in 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS achieves 28 dB gain at 240 GHz with a high figure of merit in terms of GHz/mW. Power amplifiers operating in the 225–260 GHz band are also presented, including a uniquely designed four-way power-combined PA using a compact differential quadrature coupler. This PA exhibits one of the best performances among silicon-based PAs around 250 GHz in terms of output power and gain. A high-gain phase shifter chain is developed for scalable phased-array systems in the 220–240 GHz band. It integrates an LNA, vector modulator, and gain-enhancing amplifier, and achieves 18 dB peak gain with 360° phase tuning and over 10 dB gain control. The measured noise figure is 11.5 dB at 230 GHz with a wideband response. Finally, a 240 GHz monolithic receiver front-end for radiometric detection is presented. It integrates an on-chip dipole antenna, SPDT switch, LNA, mixer, IF amplifier, and power detector. Based on a heterodyne architecture, the design achieves high amplification efficiency and improved resolution through IF filtering, validating its potential for compact radiometric imaging systems. The results confirm the viability of SiGe BiCMOS for sub-terahertz front-end integration and contribute toward enabling compact, scalable solutions for next-generation wireless and imaging systems.

Description

Supervising professor

Halonen, Kari, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering, Finland

Thesis advisor

Varonen, Mikko, Dr., VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Finland
Parveg, Dristy, Dr., VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Finland

Keywords

millimeter-wave, MMIC, LNA, PA, radiometric receiver

Other note

Parts

  • [Publication 1]: M. Najmussadat, R. Ahamed, D. Parveg, M. Varonen and K. A. I. Halonen. Design of an E-band Doherty Power amplifier. in Proceedings of the 2018 14th Conference on Ph.D. Research in Microelectronics and Electronics (PRIME), Prague, Czech Republic, pp. 1-5, July 2018.
    DOI: 10.1109/PRIME.2018.8430350 View at publisher
  • [Publication 2]: M. Najmussadat, R. Ahamed, M. Varonen, D. Parveg, Y. Tawfik and K. A. I. Halonen. Design of a 240-GHz LNA in 0.13 μm SiGe BiCMOS Technology. in Proceedings of the 2020 15th European Microwave Integrated Circuits Conference (EuMIC)), Utrecht, Netherlands, pp. 17-20, February 2021.
    Full text in Acris/Aaltodoc: https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202103312675
  • [Publication 3]: R. Ahamed, M. Varonen, D. Parveg, M. Najmussadat, Y. Tawfik and K. A. I. Halonen. A 200-250-GHz Phase Shifter Utilizing a Compact and Wideband Differential Quadrature Coupler. IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters, Volume 32, Issue 7, pp 883 - 886, July 2022.
    DOI: 10.1109/LMWC.2022.3157790 View at publisher
  • [Publication 4]: Md Najmussadat, R. Ahamed, Mikko Varonen, Dristy Parveg, Mikko Kantanen, and K. A. I. Halonen. 220-240-GHz High-Gain Phase Shifter Chain and Power Amplifier for Scalable Large Phased-Arrays. in IEEE Access,, vol. 11, pp. 23565-23577 2023.
    Full text in Acris/Aaltodoc: https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202303292630
    DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3253764 View at publisher
  • [Publication 5]: Md Najmussadat, D. Parveg, R. Ahamed, M. Varonen, M. Kantanen and K. A. I. Halonen. High Gain Power Amplifier Design above 200 GHz in 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS. 11 pages, Submitted to IET Microwaves, Antennas Propagation, April 2025.
  • [Publication 6]: Md Najmussadat, Y. Tawfik, R. Ahamed, M. Varonen, D. Parveg, A. Lamminen, P. Pursula, and K. A. I. Halonen. MMIC Design for Radiometer Receiver at 240 GHz in 0.13 μm SiGe BiCMOS Technology. in Proceedings of the 2024 IEEE Nordic Circuits and Systems Conference (NorCAS)), Lund, Sweden, pp. 1-5, October 2024.
    Full text in Acris/Aaltodoc: https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202502052363
    DOI: 10.1109/NorCAS64408.2024.10752443 View at publisher

Citation

Permanent link to this item

https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-64-2651-8

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[diss] Sähkötekniikan korkeakoulu / ELEC