Low-loss on-chip resonators enabling high-performance amplifiers and oscillators

• Applicants: Professor Dr.-Ing. Frank Ellinger; Professor Dr. Jan Hesselbarth
• Subject Area: Electronic Semiconductors, Components and Circuits, Integrated Systems, Sensor Technology, Theoretical Electrical Engineering
• Term: from 2019 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 426291622

Millimeter-wave techniques increasingly find applications in the areas of communications, radar and imaging. This trend is primarily driven by the development of very fast yet inexpensive semiconductor technologies. The evolution towards even higher frequencies is continuing. The advancement of interconnect, antenna and packaging technology legs somewhat behind. These technologies require high mechanical precision, causing high cost, and typically result in significant signal loss. For wireless transmitters, the loss accumulated between the last active element and the air interface results in poor energy efficiency. For oscillators, high-loss on-chip components result in poor phase-noise compromising overall system performance. This project aims to develop and demonstrate a technology enabling highest-efficiency transmitters and lowest phase-noise oscillators by employing on-chip spherical dielectric resonators operating in low-loss higher-order resonance modes. Specifically, implementing an efficient coupling of the dielectric resonator to on-chip circuitry, several innovative circuits operating at 100 GHz will be demonstrated, including: efficient transmit amplifier, four-to-one lowest-loss power combining (for transmit amplifiers), lowest phase-noise voltage-controlled oscillators and free-running oscillators. The expected performances will be well beyond those of known circuits.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants