RF, mm-wave and THz circuits

MICAS has a long tradition in the field of RF circuits in general. Whether it is for cellular 5G communication, unlicensed applications, radar, sensing, imaging or future 6G communication, the research in this field is continuing with a wide range of topics. As operating frequencies and -more importantly- bandwidths go up, novel architectures and circuit techniques are needed. Furthermore, the research on RF, mm-Wave and THz circuits is also diversifying with respect to semiconductor technologies. Whereas a strong focus on CMOS has been the mantra of MICAS in the past, today a wide range of technologies, such as GaN, GaAs, InP, FDSOI and Finfet are being used in our research projects for future communication, ranging and sensing applications. This allows us to focus on the best technology for each specific application.

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Research challenges

One of the main challenges of future RF circuits is the high bandwidth requirement, combined with low-noise, high linearity and lower power consumption. The trade-off between these requirements is most apparent in the design of power amplifiers. Of course, at mm-wave frequencies, many other circuits such as VCOs, dividers, mixers and LNAs become challenging. Finally, integrated THz circuits in Silicon have the promise to enable THz functionality for a wide range of applications. This requires above-fmax circuit techniques.

Energy-Efficient power amplifiers

MICAS has a strong history and track record when it comes to PA design. This research is now also investigating different technologies, such as GaN, GaAs and InP. High bandwidth and low distortion, especially low AM-PM, are crucial design goals for future 6G systems.

Mm-wave CMOS Frontends

Complete mm-wave front-ends are being investigated, designed and fabricated within the MICAS research group. Challenges such as LO distribution are important, as well as unwanted on-chip coupling between different parts of the front-end circuitry. Our measurement lab is fully equipped to perform modulated measurements in the promising 6G bands at 140GHz and 225GHz

Above-fmax circuit techniques

Silicon circuits that operate at THz frequencies have the promise to enable novel applications for sensing, detection and communication. However, Silicon technology speed is limited to an fmax of around 300GHz. As such, the THz range can only be reached by exploiting non-linear circuit techniques since non-linear behavior goes beyond fmax.

Current research topics

High-Speed Dielectric Waveguide Communication Links
RF, mm-wave and THz circuits, Wireline and Optical Circuits
Kristof Dens | Patrick Reynaert
D-band Power Amplifiers for wireless communication in 22nm FDSOI technology.
RF, mm-wave and THz circuits
Giacomo Venturini | Patrick Reynaert
Linearization and Bandwidth enhancement of mmWave Power Amplifiers & Front Ends
RF, mm-wave and THz circuits
Bharat Kalyan Thota | Patrick Reynaert
THZ range detector circuit for plasmonic wave computing
Mixed-signal circuits and data converters, RF, mm-wave and THz circuits
Xuan Wu | Patrick Reynaert
Design of efficient transmitter architectures for 6G mm-wave communication
RF, mm-wave and THz circuits
Senne Gielen | Patrick Reynaert
J-band Communication Circuits in 16nm FinFET
RF, mm-wave and THz circuits, Wireline and Optical Circuits
Berke Güngör | Patrick Reynaert
THz power detection in CMOS for imaging applications
RF, mm-wave and THz circuits
Patrick Reynaert
Cryogenic oscillators
RF, mm-wave and THz circuits, Quantum and cryogenic circuits
Faedra Webers | Patrick Reynaert
High-Speed Communication Circuits at mm-Wave and THz Frequencies
RF, mm-wave and THz circuits, Wireline and Optical Circuits
Patrick Reynaert

Innovative chips

280 GHz ASK Receiver
Technology: 16-nm FinFET
Published: IEEE Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits Symposium (RFIC)
Application: Non-coherent short range communication
280 GHz ASK Transmitter
Technology: 16-nm FinFET
Published: IEEE Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits Symposium (RFIC)
Application: Non-coherent short range communication
A D-Band Power Amplifier with Optimized Common-Mode Behaviour Achieving 32Gb/s in 22-nm FD-SOI
Technology: 22nm FD-SOI
Published: 2024 IEEE Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits Symposium (RFIC)
Application: 6G mm-wave communication
A 4x4 Harmonic Injection-Locked Receiver Array
Technology: 28nm CMOS
Published: ISSCC 2023
Application: THz imaging
Paper: A 4×4 607GHz Harmonic Injection-Locked Receiver Array Achieving 4.4pW/√Hz NEP in 28nm CMOS

Top publications

  1. V. Qunaj and P. Reynaert, "A Compact Ka-Band Transformer-Coupled Power Amplifier for 5G in 0.15um GaAs," 2019 IEEE BiCMOS and Compound semiconductor Integrated Circuits and Technology Symposium (BCICTS), 2019, pp. 1-4, doi: 10.1109/BCICTS45179.2019.8972712.
  2. K. Guo and P. Reynaert, "29.2 A 0.59THz Beam-Steerable Coherent Radiator Array with 1mW Radiated Power and 24.1dBm EIRP in 40nm CMOS," 2020 IEEE International Solid- State Circuits Conference - (ISSCC), 2020, pp. 442-444, doi: 10.1109/ISSCC19947.2020.9063139.
  3. B. Philippe and P. Reynaert, "24.7 A 15dBm 12.8%-PAE Compact D-Band Power Amplifier with Two-Way Power Combining in 16nm FinFET CMOS," 2020 IEEE International Solid- State Circuits Conference - (ISSCC), 2020, pp. 374-376, doi: 10.1109/ISSCC19947.2020.9062920.
  4. B. Philippe and P. Reynaert, "A 126 GHz, 22.5% Tuning, 191 dBc/Hz FOMt 3rd Harmonic Extracted Class-F Oscillator for D-band Applications in 16nm FinFET," 2020 IEEE Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits Symposium (RFIC), 2020, pp. 263-266, doi: 10.1109/RFIC49505.2020.9218397.
  5. A. De Vroede and P. Reynaert, "23.3 A 605GHz 0.84mW Harmonic Injection-Locked Receiver Achieving 2.3pW/√Hz NEP in 28nm CMOS," 2021 IEEE International Solid- State Circuits Conference (ISSCC), 2021, pp. 328-330, doi: 10.1109/ISSCC42613.2021.9366049.
  6. G. Guimarães and P. Reynaert, "A 670-GHz 4 × 2 Oscillator–Radiator Array Achieving 7.4-dBm EIRP in 40-nm CMOS," in IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, vol. 56, no. 11, pp. 3399-3411, Nov. 2021, doi: 10.1109/JSSC.2021.3093365.
  7. U. Çelik and P. Reynaert, "An NP Matrix-Based E-Band Power Amplifier Achieving 24-Gbit/s Data Rate Using 256 QAM in 22-nm FD-SOI," in IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, vol. 69, no. 11, pp. 4667-4677, Nov. 2021, doi: 10.1109/TMTT.2021.3103957.
  8. V. Qunaj and P. Reynaert, "A Ka-Band Doherty-Like LMBA for High-Speed Wireless Communication in 28-nm CMOS," in IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, vol. 56, no. 12, pp. 3694-3703, Dec. 2021, doi: 10.1109/JSSC.2021.3110168.
  9. D. Simic, K. Guo and P. Reynaert, "A 420-GHz Sub-5-μm Range Resolution TX–RX Phase Imaging System in 40-nm CMOS Technology," in IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, vol. 56, no. 12, pp. 3827-3839, Dec. 2021, doi: 10.1109/JSSC.2021.3111152.
Get in touch with our lead researchers

Interested in working together?

Michiel Steyaert
Michiel Steyaert
Academic staff