The complete chipset takes up only 17 mm2 total die area. The five-device chip set supports various modulation schemes and can be used in a simplex, half duplex, or full duplex mode. The MMICs are standard off-of-the-shelf products fabricated in a high volume 0.1 mm and 0.15 mm GaAs high-electron mobility transistor production processes.

Eight chips (five chip types) make up the complete transceiver RF electronics. Full duplex transceivers can also be easily realized by substituting a power divider for the local oscillator switch and deleting the transmit/receive switch. This architecture has been used in the production of a low cost 60 GHz module supporting >155 Mbps data rates.

The architecture can support a range of constant envelope modulation formats such as frequency-shift keying, TFM, and frequency modulation. More bandwidth efficient modulation schemes such as minimal phase-shift keying can be accommodated by utilizing frequency conversion rather than a frequency multiplication in the transmit local oscillator chain.

The chip set consists of a X4 multiplier; a low noise amplifier, which is also used as a driver amplifier in the transmit chain; an image reject mixer with an IF frequency range of DC to 3 GHz (sub-harmonic mixer also available); two RF switches; and a power amplifier capable of 18 dBm output saturated RF power. The LNA noise figure is less than 4 dB across the frequency band.

The chip set has demonstrated excellent producibility in volume. Typical noise figure performance of better than 4.2 dB over the entire 55 GHz to 65 GHz range is highly repeatable. Average noise figure is less than 3.8 dB with almost all of the parts measuring less than 4.2 dB.

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