Progress toward a single chip radio in CMOS

• On-chip antenna pair gain at 24GHz is not optimal but sufficient for communication over 5 m near ground. 10-m range is possible if the antennas sit ∼ 50 cm above ground. • It should be possible to communicate to a UAV flying at 50–100m above the ground. • 24-GHz RF circuits with reasonable power consumption should be possible in 130-nm CMOS. It needs to be drastically reduced for unattended sensor applications. • The crystal reference frequency stability requirement has been relaxed such that use of an LC oscillator is possible. • Dual conversion architecture should enable integration of a transmitting antenna, PA and VCO on the same silicon substrate. • Power consumption reduction is the last remaining challenge. Lower frequency operation.