A 76–84 GHz 16-element phased array receiver with a chip-level built-in-self-test system

A 16-element phased array receiver with built-in-self test (BIST) is demonstrated at 76-84 GHz. The BIST technique employs a miniature capacitive coupler located at the input port of each phased-array channel, and uses the receiver I/Q down-converter to measure the amplitude and phase of each channel. This allows for measuring the response of individual channels if one channel is turned on at a time, and an on-chip array factor if several channels are turned on and the phase between them is varied. BIST measurements done at 76-84 GHz agree very well with S-parameter measurements with a matched load and an open circuit load at each port, and show that this technique can be used to greatly lower the testing cost and improve the self-calibration of mm-wave phased-array RFICs.