A Global Multi-Standard/Multi-Band 17.1-52.4 GHz Tx Phased Array Beamformer with 14.8 dBm OP1dB Supporting 5G NR FR2 Bands with Multi-Gb/s 64-QAM for Massive MIMO Arrays

This paper presents a 4-channel 17.1-52.4 GHz (101.5% fractional bandwidth) Tx phased array front-end designed in SiGe BiCMOS SBC18S5 process. A wideband RF beamforming architecture employing 2-stage resistive-feedback power amplifier and active phase shiftier with T-coil wideband matching network results in an ultra wideband operation with high output power. Each channel has a 5-bit phase control and 15 dB gain control. The input signal is distributed to the 4 channels using a two-stage wideband compact Wilkinson network. The measured gain is 22 dB with 12-14.8 dBm OP1dB at 17-52 GHz. Each channel consumes 240-250 mW at P1dB from 2 and 3 V voltage supplies. The chip is tested with a 28 GHz 64-QAM signals and achieved a data-rate of 6Gb/s at −25 dBm EVM and 9.5 dBm average output power. To author's knowledge, this work achieves the widest bandwidth beamformer covering 5G NR FR2 bands and enabling the construction of multi-standard wideband phased arrays.