Committee: 

Dr. Wang, Advisor

Dr. Cressler, Chair

Dr. Klein

Dr. Chang

Abstract:

The objective of the proposed research is to devise new silicon-based system topologies and circuit design methodologies for power generation and signal detection at the mm-Wave and THz frequency range. The proposed system presented here is intended for deployable internet-of-things devices and sensor networks where low power consumption and high efficiency are requirements for a practical implementation. As a proof-of-concept, a THz oscillator based low power miniature radio integrated with on-chip antennas is proposed. The THz low power radio is based on a reconfigurable fundamental oscillator array that can be used as a THz source in transmission mode and as a THz super-regenerative detector in receiver mode. These low-power miniaturized 2-way radios can be deployed to form highly collaborative networks that can establish neighbor-to-neighbor meter-scale communication. The links formed by the miniature radio nodes can extend and relay information supporting long-distance communication to a base-station located far away. In simulations, the proposed design achieves a maximum output power of 5.56dBm, at a center frequency of 150GHz, a receiver sensitivity of -80dBm, a DC power consumption of 38mW, and a DC-to-EIRP efficiency of 38.9%, which is the highest efficiency reported of all the silicon-based THz transceivers in the 150GHz range. The prototype chip was design using the GlobalFoundries 45nm silicon on insulator process and it occupies a total chip area of 2mm by 2mm.