A 2-5.5 GHz Beamsteering Receiver IC with 4-Element Vivaldi Antenna Array

Abstract

In this article, we present a four-element Vivaldi antenna array and beamsteering receiver IC for the fifth-generation mobile network (5G) new radio (NR). The implemented receiver utilizes a delay-based local-oscillator phase shift technique for accurate beamsteering, and it exhibits 1° to 2.4° phase tuning capability for 2-5 GHz bandwidth accordingly. On-chip delay measurement is performed with pilot signal generation and delay estimation capable of 2-ps accuracy. The IC is fabricated on 28-nm CMOS technology, it occupies an area of 1.4 × 1.4 mm2, including bonding pads, and consumes 22.8 mW at 2 GHz for single-receiver path operation. The receiver demonstrates wideband over-the-air reception with the prototype antennas.