A CMOS Two-Element 170-GHz Fundamental-Frequency Transmitter With Direct RF-8PSK

Abstract

A CMOS 170-GHz f undamental-frequency transmitter (TX) realizing the 8PSK modulation scheme directly in the RF domain is presented. The use of direct RF modulation obviates the need for high-resolution high-speed mixed-signal blocks. The proposed architecture extends the conventional quadrature modulation by performing additional phase modulation on I and Q components of the LO signal, which helps increase modulation order. The TX employs high- speed switchable phase shifters to achieve LO phase