V-band transceiver modules with integrated antennas and phased arrays for mmWave access in 5G mobile networks

Abstract

V-band integrated transceiver modules based on a multi-layer organic interposer technology are developed for user terminal and access point applications in future 5G mobile networks with the objective to have an efficient, scalable and cost-effective architecture. The main design constraints and issues are discussed. A 10×10-mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> transceiver module, designed for user-terminal applications, with separate Rx and Tx antennas is presented and exhibits more than 8.6 dBi antenna gain over the 60 GHz band. A 18.8×18.5-mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> module integrating a transceiver IC, 4 phase shifter ICs and 2×4 antenna elements enables higher gain levels and beam-steering in Rx and Tx modes. This module offers 17.6 dBi antenna gain at 61 GHz and can be used as a sub-array to reach 26.6 dBi in a multi-module phased-array architecture composed of 2×4 sub-arrays.