Ahmet Yelboğa | Searcharxiv

arXiv2026

A 188-260 GHz Distributed Frequency Multiplier Achieving 4 dBm Saturated Output Power in 65 nm CMOS

Sub-terahertz (sub-THz) low-phase-noise signal sources commonly employ frequency multiplier chains to extend the operating frequency of lower-frequency oscillators. This paper presents the design and simulations of a wideband, high-output-power frequency multiplier implemented in TSMC 65 nm CMOS technology. The proposed design is based on a distributed frequency multiplier with a quarter-wave transmission line termination at the drain side, where the reflected and forward-traveling waves are constructively combined to enhance the output power. The proposed frequency doubler achieves a minimum conversion loss of 12 dB at an input frequency of 115 GHz with an input power of 12 dBm, resulting in an output power of 0 dBm and 12.6 dB fundamental suppression. For the same input power, the output power remains within 3 dB of its peak value over the 188-260 GHz output frequency range. At 230 GHz, the proposed design achieves a saturated output power of 4 dBm while occupying an area of 0.149 mm^2.

eess.SP↗

arXiv2026

Channel-Aware Behavioral Power Modeling of CMOS OOK Transceivers for Wireless Network-on-Chip Systems

Wireless Network-on-Chip (WNoC) systems enable low-latency communication in many-core platforms through short-range wireless links. However, the power consumption of integrated transceivers (TRXs), dominated by that of the RF front-end circuitry, remains a major challenge. Moreover, the optimal operating frequency is still unclear, as bandwidth, energy efficiency, and technology maturity must be balanced. This work presents a channel-aware behavioral modeling framework to estimate power consumption and identify energy-efficient operating points in non-coherent On-Off Keying (OOK) TRXs over a wide frequency range. The approach leverages survey data from CMOS implementations to derive frequency-dependent power models for key TRX sub-blocks, including the power amplifier (PA), oscillator, mixer, low noise amplifier (LNA), and envelope detector (ED). By incorporating the frequency-dependent channel loss into the TRX power budget, the model captures system-level power trade-offs across operating regimes. The analysis reveals a frequency-dependent shift in power dominance between the transmitter and receiver: oscillator- and ED-dominated regimes at lower frequencies transition to PA- and LNA-dominated behavior at higher frequencies. Furthermore, the energy-per-bit landscape exhibits sweet spots and a model-based global minimum, indicating that optimal operation cannot be achieved by optimizing transmitter or receiver independently. Overall, the proposed framework enables rapid and physically grounded exploration of power scaling with frequency and channel conditions, providing practical guidelines for energy-efficient design of high-frequency wireless links for WNoC systems and beyond.

eess.SP↗