183GHz 13.5mW/pixel CMOS regenerative receiver for mm-wave imaging applications

Terahertz and mm-Wave-based imagers have recently gained interest for imaging in security screening and bio-imaging applications. For these applications to become practical, the core pixel circuits employed in an imaging array must meet challenging constraints that originate from the system level design and the needs of constructing large array structures on-chip. The most critical of these constraints is that the pixel must consume very low power, as an array will inflate the total power by n², where n² is the total number of pixels in a square (n x n) array. Pixel circuit area is the 2^nd major constraint, as the single pixel area will be also inflated by n². This area constraint is critical because the cost-effective pixel array should ideally fit on a wafer to facilitate monolithic fabrication and avoid the need for complicated mechanical assembly of multiple array sections. A third system-level constraint similar to that experienced in CMOS image sensor arrays is the challenge of routing large numbers of analog signals between each pixel in the array and the sampling ADC.