Talk at the EuMW: “SiGe BiCMOS Technologies for 6G Millimeter-Wave Communications”

A talk titled “SiGe BiCMOS Technologies for 6G Millimeter-Wave Communications” by P. Chevalier and A. Pallotta will be given at 6G FEM workshop of the incoming European Microwave Week. The talk will present the work ongoing in STMicroelectronics on SiGe BiCMOS technologies to prepare 6G communications, anticipating the use of the D- and G-bands.
In particular, the developments on Si/SiGe Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor and passive devices able to deliver adequate performances at these frequency bands will be reviewed and positioned versus the state-of-the art.Results on a D-band link using an Active Phased Antenna Array fabricated in ST 55-nm SiGe BiCMOS production technology will also be discussed.
The outline of the talk is the following:

• Introduction
  • SiGe BiCMOS technologies assets & related FoM
  • SiGe BiCMOS history (ST example): from RF to MMW
  • SiGe BiCMOS perspectives: from MMW to THz?

• Core
  • SiGe BiCMOS performances
  • ST candidate technologies: B55 & B55X
  • SiGe BiCMOS for D-band (DREAM & DRAGON)
    • Blocks benchmark
    • Current results in B55
      • DREAM project & chipset results, ref. to EuCNC/6G Summit paper
      • DRAGON presentation (LNA/PA, HF integration substrate platform with embedded antenna
      • DRAGON is higher TRL but include a RIA (research and innovation actions) explorative task addressing B55X, for more design margin vs. specs, in critical blocks, as mainly PA and LNA, but also VGA, PS, VCO and mixers.
    • Perspectives: SiGe BiCMOS for G-band
      • Current results in literature, cf. Kissinger paper
      • LETI vision (from D-band to G-band), cf. D. Belot paper & presentation

• Conclusion & perspectives
  • SiGe for D-band
    • Feasibility of an Active Phased Antenna Array demonstrated in B55
    • Next generation (B55X) will allow a product with sufficient margin
  • SiGe for G-band
    • 700 GHz fMAX HBT is a minimum requirement but output power will likely be low compared to InP > Combination needed?
  • Aknowlegment

Conference website: https://www.eumw2021.com/

Technical program: https://www.eumw2021.com/docs/2021_programme.pdf