W-band transmitter and receiver modules for 10-Gb/s impulse radio

Using InP HEMT technologies, we developed transmitter and receiver modules based on impulse radio (IR) architecture that are capable of 10-Gb/s data transmission in W-band frequencies. The new modules achieve ON/OFF keying modulation without using local oscillators, mixers, or other components that had been needed in previous millimeter-band modules. The transmitter, consisting of a 6.5-ps pulse modulator and a band-pass filter with 5-stage microstrip coupled lines, emits wavelets, or RF pulses, with a full width at half maximum of less than 80 ps and a voltage amplitude of 76 mVpp, occupying frequencies between 78-93 GHz. The receiver is composed of a low-noise amplifier (LNA), an envelope detector, and a limiting amplifier. The group delay property of the LNA, opposite to that of a waveguide to microstrip line transition in the module, makes the received signal distortion smaller, resulting in a reduction in intersymbol interference (ISI). As results of a back-to-back test, error free transmission/reception (BER < 10^-12) was confirmed with a test pattern of PRBS 2³¹-1 at the OC-192 compliant data rate of 9.95328 Gb/s. These results established the basic technologies for simple and compact IR-based systems, which could be used as an alternative to fiber optic cables.