An hybrid approach for high-performance passive 120-GHz phase shifters in BiCMOS technology

In this paper, an original architecture of a mm-wave passive phase shifter is presented. It is based on an original hybrid approach mixing digital and analog stages to form a 0-360° continuous phase shifting. The overall architecture is presented and a detailed analysis of the insertion loss of each stage is performed, leading to a figure of merit of 34°/dB. Then the design of the 45° digital stage is carried out up to the layout, with a careful description of the optimization steps.