OREANDA-NEWS. October 29, 2012. Fujitsu Laboratories today announced the development of a new packaging technology that enables the development of millimeter-wave(1) power amplifiers that can be employed in applications such as automotive radar(2) and wireless communications devices.

One effective way to produce compact, low-cost millimeter-wave transceivers is to integrate high-frequency RF circuitry onto a CMOS(3) chip. At the same time, for normal CMOS circuitry, which operates at low voltages, the high power amplifiers employed in transmitters has proven a challenge that has served as a roadblock to integration. As a result, there has been a need for a technology that can enable CMOS power amplifiers to achieve higher output.

Fujitsu Laboratories has developed a technology that combines millimeter-wave high-frequency signals generated by multiple power amplifiers within an off-chip module. A prototype module incorporating CMOS power amplifiers based on this technology was able to produce 32 mW output in the 77-GHz frequency band. As a result, it will become possible to develop CMOS millimeter-wave transceivers that employ high-output power amplifiers, which is expected to substantially contribute to the production of smaller, low-cost devices.

Details of the technology will be presented at the European Microwave Conference 2012, to be held beginning October 28, 2012 in the Netherlands.