Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Conventional terahertz (THz) radio frequency (RF) frontends struggle to simultaneously balance the high performance and miniaturization of monolithic integrated designs with the excellent testability of discrete modular architectures. This paper presents a detachable 183 GHz terahertz RF frontend and completes the module design and system integration of a low-noise amplifier (LNA) and a second-order subharmonic mixer. Through optimization of the waveguide-to-microstrip transition, parasitic compensation for pad bonding, and the structural design of the chip shielding cavity, combined with a high-precision alignment scheme using positioning pins and screws, the integrated module achieves detachability, testability, and ease of maintenance. Measurement results show that across the 160-200 GHz frequency band, the amplifier achieves an average gain of 16.51 dB; the mixer exhibits a minimum conversion loss of 8.62 dB; and the full-link noise figure of the system reaches 6.68 dB. The proposed scheme effectively addresses the engineering challenges of conventional integrated architectures and provides a practical implementation pathway for terahertz communication and remote sensing detection frontends.
Source: Micromachines
DOI: 10.3390/mi17050562
Authors: Qiyuan Zheng, Jin Meng, Li Wang, Zhaoyue Wang
Language: English
Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,534
OpenAlex ID: W7160014445