Due to the congestion of traditional frequency bands, the millimetre-wave part of the spectrum (30-300 GHz) has received increasing attention in the last decade. Because of large unused portions of spectrum in this band, mm-waves are ideal for ultra-high data-rate communication and extremely high-resolution imaging applications. Because of the very short wavelengths at mm-wave frequencies, the radio front-ends must be highly integrated in order to avoid excessive loss in the interconnections between components. As a result, also antennas have to be co-integrated with the electronics, either in the same package or even on-chip, posing challenges to the antenna design.
This course will cover the particular aspects of mm-wave antenna integration with silicon-based integrated circuits. It containsbasic knowledge of technologies and conceptsused in the (Bi-)CMOS industry as well as their influence on antenna design and performance. Antenna measurement challenges and solutions will be discussed, followed by a typical design flow example for a mm-wave phased array. In order to provide hands-on experience, the course includes a mm-wave design competition, where an on-chip antenna has to be designed with a centre frequency of 60 GHz.
