A compact 94 GHz FMCW radar MMIC based on 100 nm InGaAs mHEMT technology with integrated transmission signal conditioning

In this paper, a compact 94 GHz frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) is presented. Besides the components required for radar application, the MMIC further offers a conditioning subcircuit for the transmitted signal, consisting of a frequency multiplier for upconversion of an external signal source and a variable gain power amplifier (VGPA) to adjust the RF output power. The achieved maximum output power is 8 dBm with a high dynamic range of 30 dB. The MMIC has a size of 2mm × 4mm and is based on our in-house 100nm InGaAs metamorphic high electron mobility transistor (mHEMT) process. The design will be discussed and measurement results of the fabricated MMIC will be presented. The MMIC can be used for integration in compact W-band radar or signal source systems.