CMOS transceiver supports millimetre-wave radar

Existing mm-wave radar uses silicon-germanium (SiGe) transceiver chips. Using CMOS would allow for lower costs and lower power consumption than SiGe, but it is more susceptible to noise, particularly in lower frequency ranges, which has made the use of CMOS for mm-wave radar impractical to date.

Fujitsu has produced a prototype CMOS transceiver chip that suppresses oscillator noise on the receiver circuit by configuring a frequency-conversion circuit so that it is compatible with the 76-81GHz band used in automotive mm-wave radar. This greatly reduces noise levels found in previously attempted CMOS transceivers, resulting in performance which is able to match current SiGe chips.

This technology enables power consumption of CMOS-based mm-wave radar to be approximately halved compared SiGe chips, and at lower costs. Low noise mm-wave radar is expected to improve collision avoidance systems by providing intelligent sensing in conditions of poor visible-light-spectrum visibility, as pictured.