Integrated Solution for Linear and Non-Linear Single-Touchdown On-Wafer Characterization of D-Band Mixers

To pave the way for sub-terahertz communication like sixth-generation wireless technology, this work demonstrates an accurate yet simple D-band measurement setup to evaluate linear and nonlinear distortion characteristics of mixers within a single contact-cycle. The proposed system features a dual-source frequency extender that creates a two-tone signal which can be used for intermodulation and group delay analysis. A comparison to state-of-the-art approaches and on-wafer measurements of a resistive mixer contextualize the system’s performance.