Emerging GaN Technologies for Next-Generation Millimeter-Wave Applications

Advanced millimeter-wave (mm-wave) transceiver systems, including future mm-wave 5G and 6G mobile networks, are of great interest to support high-data-rate communications (e.g., 10 Gb/s or higher) and backhaul communications with >50 Gb/s. Since the E band and beyond can also support multigigahertz bandwidths, there is also growing interest in phased-array implementations. With its inherent integration advantage, SiGe phased arrays were demonstrated at the W band, with the latest result of a >10-Gb/s data rate. In the case of point-to-point wireless links, III–V technologies [e.g., a pseudomorphic high-electron mobility transistor (pHEMT)] have also been utilized in full-duplex W-band links with a peak data rate of 10 Gb/s.