Building 5G and SATCOM Phased-Arrays and UAV-Detection Radars Using Low-Cost Silicon Technologies

Due to the increased demand for data, there is a need for base-station and mobile-user phased-arrays that can provide high-capacity communication links using directional antennas, both for terrestrial and satellite (SATCOM) applications. Therefore, there is a large investment by the industry to meet the commercial demand. Digital-beamforming phased-arrays at the element level for sub-6 GHz systems and hybrid (i.e. analog/digital) beamforming for the SATCOM Ku and Ka-band and mm-waves 5G bands have been recently developed using low-cost CMOS and SiGe silicon technologies. High EIRP, low NF high-performance phased-arrays at 10-14 GHz (Ku- band SATCOM), 17-21 GHz and 27-31 GHz (Ka-band SATCOM), 24-29.5 GHz (5G), 37-42 GHz (5G) and even 57-64 GHz (WLAN), and with multiple beams, are now available. These arrays are also used in low-cost radars for landing systems, weather detection and UAV collision avoidance. This talk introduces different topologies and solutions for microwave and mm-wave phased arrays, summarizes our work in this area, and presents a roadmap for the future.