A 2 × 6b 8 GS/s 17–24-GHz I/Q RF-DAC-Based Transmitter in 22-nm FDSOI CMOS

We describe a 2×6 bit Cartesian RF in-phase and quadrature (IQ)-modulator, implemented on 0.15 mm ² in 22-mm fully-depleted silicon-on-insulator (FDSOI) CMOS technology. Measurements show a 3-dB bandwidth of 17-24-GHz and saturated output power of 10.4 dBm with a peak drain efficiency of 15.6%. The IQ-modulator has been verified up to 8 GS/s. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest-frequency CMOS RF IQ-modulator using sub-50%-duty-cycle local oscillator (LO) signals, and the highest sample rate reported for >3 bit fully integrated Cartesian IQ-modulators.