20.8–51 GHz highly balanced CMOS balun. Issue 17 (1st August 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Yang, Geliang; Wang, Keping; Wang, Zhigong
• Is Part Of: Electronics letters. Volume 53:Issue 17(2017)
• Page Start: 1202
• Page End: 1203
• Publication Date: 2017-08-01
• Subjects: field effect MIMIC -- field effect MMIC -- baluns -- CMOS integrated circuits -- ultra wideband technology; highly balanced CMOS balun -- ultra‐wideband asymmetric spiral‐stacked Marchand balun -- in‐phase current return path -- balun balance metric enhancement -- amplitude imbalance -- phase imbalance -- millimetre‐wave component -- Q band -- Ka band -- frequency 10 GHz to 60 GHz -- size 0.18 mum; Electronics -- Periodicals; 621.381
• DOI: 10.1049/el.2017.1691
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0013-5194

Abstract

Abstract : An ultra‐wideband asymmetric spiral‐stacked Marchand balun fabricated in the standard 0.18 μm CMOS process is demonstrated. An innovative technique named in‐phase current return path is incorporated into the design to enhance the balun's balance metrics. The proposed balun has a measured insertion loss <5 dB (3 dB for an ideal balun) and a return loss better than 10 dB from 20.8 to 60 GHz. Significantly, it provides a measured amplitude imbalance <0.3 dB and a phase imbalance <2° within 10–51 GHz range. The balun occupies an area of only 0.043 mm 2 without pads. The resultant highly balanced CMOS balun is shown as a high‐performing millimetre‐wave component suitable for the full Ka and/or Q band applications.