Design of a Cost-Efficient Monostatic Radar Sensor With Antenna on Chip and Lens in Package

This work presents a D-band monostatic radar system operating from 144.6 to 161 GHz, which is placed inside a 3-D-printed low-cost case with a built-in lens to boost the antenna (ANT) directivity. The monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) is manufactured in a 130-nm BiCMOS process and includes a compact transceiver architecture consisting of an oscillator, a diode-based mixer, and an on-chip antenna. The implemented topology allows to significantly improve the signal-to-noise ratio and features a built-in self-test (BIST) structure with the possibility to provide on-chip antenna characterization using power sensors in combination with a directional coupler. Housed inside the robust printed package, the MMIC has only dc and baseband frequency connections, which offers ease of handling and poses the low-cost potential for a variety of applications. The complete transceiver chip consumes only 84.7 mA from a 3.3-V supply and its size is 1964 μm x 1448 μm. Together with the package the sensor measures a size of 42.2 mm x 42.2 mm x 45.7 mm.