100-300 GHz Wireless: Transistors, ICs, and Systems

We describe the opportunities and challenges in developing 100-300 GHz wireless communications and imaging systems. The short wavelengths permit massive spatial multiplexing in both backhaul and endpoint links, permitting aggregate transmission capacities exceeding 100 Gb/s. 100-300 GHz radar imaging systems can provide many image pixels and sharp angular resolution from small apertures, supporting foul-weather driving and aviation. Challenges include the mm-wave integrated circuit (IC) designs, the physical design of the front-end modules, and the complexity of the back-end digital beamformer required for spatial multiplexing. We will describe transistor development, IC design, and system design, and show IC and systems examples, including 140 GHz MIMO hubs, and 205 GHz backhaul links.