High-Performance and Small Form-Factor mm-Wave CMOS Radars for Automotive and Industrial Sensing in 76-to-81GHz and 57-to-64GHz Bands

Abstract

Millimeterwave (mm-Wave) radar sensors operating in the 76-to-81 GHz band are a key component of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) for enhanced automotive safety. The recent entry of CMOS solutions in this space has accelerated development of multi-mode Radars that can support long, medium and short-range applications [1–3]. As ADAS applications evolve to support higher levels of autonomy, there is increased demand on radar sensors for improved maximum range, velocity, and angular resolution. Emerging automotive in-cabin occupancy sensing applications are creating opportunities for short-range, high-resolution sensors operating in 60/77GHz bands (depending on the regulatory market). The unlicensed 60GHz band has also enabled industrial sensing opportunities across diverse markets such as robotics, building automation, and healthcare. Several of these broad-market applications require inexpensive and small form factor sensors that can be deployed on low cost PCBs (e.g., FR4) without expertise in mm-Wave design. In this paper, we describe our high-performance 76-to-81GHz FMCW Automotive Radar that supports multi-chip cascading to enable higher angular resolution and a compact 57-to-64 GHz single-chip Radar with integrated antennas on package. All devices are built on a 45nm bulk CMOS technology with 9 metal layers and packaged using flip-chip BGA technology.