A 60 GHz transceiver with multi-gigabit data rate capability

A transceiver operating at 60 GHz capable of gigabit data rate has been built and demonstrated. On-off shift keying (OOK) was selected for modulation for the first-generation system due to the relative simplicity of implementation and the potential it offers for very high data rates. A combination of commercial and custom MMIC was used in the system. High-directivity horn antennas as well as omnidirectional antennas were used in various combinations during system testing. A BER of 1×10^-12 for data rates up to 3 Gbit/s at 10 meters was demonstrated. At a data rate of 3.5 Gbit/s, a BER of 1×10^-8 was measured at 3.0 meters. To the authors´ knowledge, this is the highest data rate reported at a carrier frequency of 60 GHz.