Design and implementation of a high-performance 60-GHz CMOS slot antenna

• Published in: Microwave and optical technology letters Vol. 54; no. 9; pp. 2061 - 2065
• Main Authors: Lin, Chih-Ying, Lin, Yo-Sheng, Lu, Hsin-Chia, Chang, Yi-Long
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.09.2012
• Subjects: CMOS; coplanar waveguide; power gain; slot antenna; VSWR
• ISSN: 0895-2477; 1098-2760
• DOI: 10.1002/mop.27012

This article describes the design and implementation of a monolithic 60‐GHz millimeter‐wave planar CMOS slot antenna. A finite element method‐based three‐dimensional full‐wave electromagnetic solver, high‐frequency structure simulator, is used to simulate and optimize the performance of the antenna. The feeding network adopts the coplanar waveguide (CPW) structure, so the on‐chip antenna can be flip‐chip bonded to a CPW RO4003 conversion board for complete radiation‐pattern measurement. Nearly, omnidirectional operation is achieved by providing four major current paths in the shape of a cross for radiation. The measured input voltage standing wave ratio of the on‐chip slot antenna is smaller than 2 for frequencies 54.6–68.3 GHz. The measured maximum power gain is −0.74 dB at 60 GHz, one of the highest power gains ever reported for a CMOS antenna at 60 GHz. The chip area is only 1 × 0.8 mm2, i.e., 0.8 mm2. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 54:2061–2065, 2012; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.27012