A 130-to-220-GHz Frequency Quadrupler with 80 dB Dynamic Range for 6G Communication in 0.13-μm SiGe Process

This paper presents a broadband frequency quadrupler (FQ) implemented with a standard 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS process. Two broadband push-push frequency doublers (×2) operate at an input frequency of 32.5–55 GHz and 65–110 GHz, respectively. To properly drive the two doublers with enough input power and bandwidth, two transformer coupled power amplifiers (PAs) have been adopted. The former power amplifier is based on a neutralized capacitor structure and the latter is based on a transformer topology. A nonlinear device model and a systematic methodology to generate maximum power at second harmonic are proposed. By manipulating the device nonlinearity and optimizing the magnetically and capacitively coupled resonator (MCCR) matching networks, optimum conditions for harmonic power generation are provided. The measurement results show that the proposed quadrupler provides a 90-GHz bandwidth with an 80-dB dynamic range and a high energy efficiency η of 3.7% at 210 GHz