Introduction to

Millimeter-wave Technology

Mrinal Kanti Mandal

mkmandal@ece.iitkgp.ernet.in
Department of E & ECE
I.I.T. Kharagpur.
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 References
1. Advanced Millimeter-wave Technologies: Antennas, Packaging
and Circuits - Duixian Liu, Ulrich Pfeiffer, Janusz Grzyb and Brian
Gaucher, Wiley.
2. Handbook of RF, Microwave, and Millimeter-Wave Components
- Sergey M. Smolskiy Author, Leonid A. Belov and Victor N.
Kochemasov, Artech House Microwave Library.
3. Millimeter Wave Communication Systems - Kao-Cheng Huang,
Zhaocheng Wang, Wiley.
4. Microwave and RF Design of Wireless Systems – David M.
Pozar, Wiley.
5. Millimeter Wave and Optical Dielectric Integrated Guides and
Circuits – Shiban K. Koul, Wiley.

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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Band designation
Bands Frequency range Typical uses

L 1 - 2 GHz military telemetry, GPS, mobile phones (GSM), amateur radio.

weather radar, surface ship radar, and some communications satellites,

S 2 - 4 GHz microwave ovens, radio astronomy, mobile phones, wireless LAN,
Bluetooth, ZigBee, GPS, amateur radio.
C 4 - 8 GHz long-distance radio telecommunications.
satellite communications, radar, terrestrial broadband, space
X 8 - 12 GHz
communications, amateur radio.
Ku 12 - 18 GHz satellite communications.
K 18 - 26.5 GHz radar, satellite communications, astronomical observations.
Ka 26.5 - 40 GHz satellite communications.
satellite communications, terrestrial microwave communications, radio
Q 33 - 50 GHz
astronomy, automotive radar.
V 50 - 75 GHz millimetre wave radar research and other kinds of scientific research.
E 60 - 90 GHz UHF transmissions.
satellite communications, millimeter-wave radar research, military radar
W 75 - 110 GHz
targeting and tracking applications, and some non-military applications.
SHF transmissions: Radio astronomy, microwave
devices/communications, wireless LAN, most modern radars,
F 90 - 140 GHz
communications satellites, satellite television broadcasting, DBS, amateur
radio.
EHF transmissions: Radio astronomy, high-frequency microwave radio
D 110 - 170 GHz relay, microwave remote sensing, amateur radio, directed-energy weapon,
millimetre wave scanner. 3
 FMCW RADAR circuit
mm-wave part Low frequency part

• A mixer is used to down/up convert the carrier frequency.

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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Millimeter-wave system

A conceptual mobile phone circuit.

Millimeter wave wireless technology presents the potential to offer bandwidth

delivery comparable to that of fiber optics, but without the financial and logistic
challenges of deploying fiber.

M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur. 5

 Atmospheric attenuation

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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Rain attenuation

• Attenuation increases with

frequency (mm-wave) and
rain rate.
• A problem for long distance
communication (eg. satellite
links).

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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Long distance communication possible..?
Free space path loss (from Friis law):

 4π r  r is the free space distance,

20 log10   dB. λ is the wavelength.
 λ 

• Typical path loss values for r = 10 m:

2.4 GHz 60 dB
30 GHz 82 dB
60 GHz 88 dB
300 GHz 102 dB
600 GHz 108 dB
• Typical path loss values for r = 1 km:
2.4 GHz 100 dB
30 GHz 122 dB
60 GHz 128 dB
300 GHz 142 dB Millimeter-wave
600 GHz 148 dB antenna.
Milimeter Waves Communication Systems, K.-C. Huang and Z. Wang, Wiley.
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Department of E & ECE, I.I.T. Kharagpur. @M.K. Mandal
 mm-wave propagation
Pros and cons:
• mm-waves have high atmospheric attenuation.
• Rain fade is a serious problem, humidity also has an impact on propagation.
• Surfaces appear rougher so diffused reflection increases.
• Multipath propagation, particularly reflection from indoor walls and surfaces,
causes serious fading.
• Doppler shift of frequency can be significant even at pedestrian speeds in
portable devices shadowing due to the human body is a problem.
• mm-waves travel solely by line-of-sight, and are blocked by building walls
and attenuated by foliage (a few km) densely packed communications
networks (WPAN) through frequency reuse.
• Show "optical" propagation characteristics  can be reflected and focused
by small metal surfaces, diffracted by building edges.
• The small wavelength allows modest size antennas to have a small beam
width, increasing frequency reuse potential, small circuit size.
• Potential applications: very high resolution radar, communication links> 10
GBPS.
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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Sir J.C. Bose’s work

• The first millimetre wave communication system in the world.

• In 1895, transmission and reception of 60 GHz signal, over 23 meters distance.
• Pioneering work: spark transmitter, coherer, dielectric lens, polarizer, horn
antenna and cylindrical diffraction grating.
• 2.5 cm to 5 mm wavelength.
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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Sir J.C. Bose’s set up

World first millimetre-wave system.

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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Sir J.C. Bose’s mm-wave system

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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Sir J.C. Bose’s original set up

Original set up. Point contact detector.

Different polarisers used by Bose. Spark gap as a source.

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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Applications

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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Millimetre-wave applications
Scientific research:
• Radio astronomy and remote sensing: ground-based radio astronomy is
limited to high altitude sites due to atmospheric absorption issues.
• Satellite-based remote sensing near 60 GHz can determine temperature in
the upper atmosphere by measuring radiation emitted from oxygen
molecules that is a function of temperature and pressure.

Outer space research. Remote sensing satellite

Telescope: CARMA in D-array ( 1cm, 3 mm). 15

M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Millimetre-wave applications
Telecommunications:
• Highly directional, "pencil-beam"  close
proximity to one another without causing
interference.
• point-to-point communications, intersatellite links,
and point-to-multipoint communications.
• a replacement for or supplement to fibre optics. Kepler Mission
(Ka - downlink)
• 38.6 - 40.0 GHz band for licensed high-speed
microwave data links (data throughputs up to
2.5 Gb/s).
• The 71-76, 81-86 and 92–95 GHz bands are also
used for point-to-point high-bandwidth
communication links.
• Current research for 10 Gb/s links in the W band.
• The upcoming Wi-Fi standard IEEE 802.11ad will
Secure data-link.
run on the 60 GHz (data transfer rates of up to 7
Gb/s).
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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Millimetre-wave applications
Passive imaging:
Effective radio metric temperature TE = Ts + Tsc
Surface brightness temp Ts = Physical temperature T0 × emissivity ε
Scattered radiometric temp Tsc = reflectivity ρ × radiometric temperature TILLU

M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur. 17

 Millimetre-wave applications

Effect of 1 km fog (visibility 50 m) on blackbody radiation.

M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur. 18

 Millimetre-wave applications
300

250

Transmission windows
200
for radiometer
measurement:
Tb (K)

150 • 30 – 50 GHz
Clear • 70 – 100 GHz
100 Cloudy • 130 – 150 GHz.

50

50 100 150 200

Frequency (GHz)

Calculated brightness temp of the atmosphere for T0 = 293 K, water 0.1 gm/m3
Cloudy - water 10 gm/m3.

M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur. 19

 Millimetre-wave applications
Weapon system:
• Nonlethal weapon system called Active Denial
System (ADS) emits a beam of radiation with a
wavelength of 3 mm.
• Fire control radar.

Security screening:
ADS mounted vehicle.
•Clothing and other organic materials are translucent in
some mm-wave frequencies  airport security scanner.
•In development: millimeter wave scanner that can search
as far as 50 meters to scan a large number of people
without their awareness.

Medicine:
•Low intensity (usually 10 mW/cm2 or less) radiation (40 -
70 GHz) for the treatment of many types of diseases
mm-wave imaging.
M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur. 20
 Millimetre-wave applications

Collision avoidance radar.

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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Example – cloud RADAR
Frequency Avg. power Antenna size

Cloud radar 35 GHz 10 - 100 W 1–3m

95 GHz 0.1 – 15 W 0.3 – 2 m

FMCW 95 GHz 0.1 – 1 W Separate antennas

~1 m

M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur. 22

 Other issues

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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Guiding structures at mm-wave frequencies
Type of wave guiding structures at mm-wave frequencies:
1. Hollow metal waveguides.
2. Planar transmission lines.
3. Quasiplanar transmission lines.
4. Dielectric integrated guides.
5. H- and groove-guide structures.

ε0 ε0
ε0εr ε0εr
Circular and rectangular
Microstrip CPW
waveguides

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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Substrate parameters

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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Phase and Group Velocity
The phase velocity of a wave is the rate at which the phase of the
wave propagates.
ω
vp = , where β = k 2 − k c2 = 2π λg .
β
The group velocity of a wave is the velocity with which the overall shape of
the waves' amplitudes (envelope of the wave) propagates.
Group velocity can be thought of as the signal velocity (ven) of the waveform
(in non-absorptive medium)
vg = dω d β.

Group delay:
Group delay is a measure of the time delay of the amplitude envelopes of
the various sinusoidal components of a signal through a device under test.

dϕ d ∠S 21
τd =
− =
− . τD (nS)
dω dω
Freq (GHz)
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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Slow and Fast Waves

Slow wave : Vp <c (speed of light in free space)

Non-radiating, radiates only at discontinuities.
Top view
Examples: helixes, dielectric slabs or rods, corrugated
conductors.
At fixed f, λg↓ Vp ↓  β↑

L (mm)
Electrical length θ = βL.

Fast wave : Vp >c

Radiates continuously along its length. Examples: leaky wave antennas (β the
beam angle α controls the beamwidth).
At fixed f, λg↑ Vp ↑  β↓

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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Skin depth
•The skin effect is due to opposing eddy
currents induced by the changing magnetic field
resulting from the alternating current.

Current density inside metal:

Skin depth: the depth below the surface of the AC current distribution.
conductor at which the current density has fallen to
1/e (≈ 0.37) of JS.

For lower ρ,

δcu |50 Hz = 8.5 mm, δcu |10 kHz = 660 μm, δcu |10 GHz =
0.66 μm, δcu |100 GHz = 0.21 μm.

•General expression:
Opposite eddy currents.

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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Boundary conditions
Dielectric interface:
No charge or surface current density  Et1 ϵr1

Et2 ϵr2

PEC interface (electric wall):

Non zero charge and surface current density  Et1 ϵr1

0 σ=∞

Magnetic wall interface:

Tangential magnetic field is zero.

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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Challenges

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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Challenges
• Simulation – performance of the simulators above 60 GHz.
• Design – consideration of losses, single mode operation.
• Physical realization – materials, fabrication challenges etc.
• System integration and packaging – deal with RF as well as mm-wave.
• Testing.

N5247A PNA-X, 67 GHz VNA N9040B UXA signal analyzer, 3 Hz – 50

GHz.
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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Challenges
Circuit:
– Small size: fabrication, loss, power handling
– Choose a proper architecture (homodyne, super heterodyne, six port etc)
– Minimization of mm-wave components (e.g. single VCO)
– Minimization of interconnects (lossy, phase shift)

Antenna:
– Efficiency
– Filtering function
– High gain antenna
– On-chip and off-chip antennas

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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Challenges
RF Electronics:
– Loss increases system noise figure
– Close to antenna
– Cost effective (e.g. fully integrated system in Silicon)

Packaging:
– Multi-chip modules (MCM)
– Low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC)
– Microwave chip on flex (MCOF)
– Printed circuit board (PCB)
– Bonding: Flip chip mount

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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Challenges

Antenna Cavity

All Si based low cost package, 60 GHz transceiver.

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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Material properties

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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
Dielectric properties at mm-wave and terahertz

Terahertz gap
(100 GHz to 10 THz)

Various popular material characterization techniques at different frequencies.

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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Material properties
• Frequency variation of substrate parameters:
Rt/duroid 6010 Quartz substrate

0
Rt/duroid 5880

-2
S21 (dB)

-4

1 21 41 61
Frequency (GHz)
S21 of a 20 mm long microstrip line on a 35NQ
substrate.
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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Materials properties
Material ϵr loss tangent
•Alumina (10 GHz) 9.6-9.9 0.0001 most commonly used,
low cost
•Sapphire (100 GHz) 9.3-11.7 0.0004 Anisotropic, not
commonly used
•Fused quartz (100 GHz) 3.8 0.00008 Excellent stability,
•Z-cut quartz (100 GHz) 4.4 0.00005 fabrication difficulty

•RT-Duroid (100 GHz) 2.2 0.0009 Cu-clad substrates are

•Rexolite (100 GHz) 2.55 0.003 available

•Teflon (PTFE) (100 GHz) 2.07 0.0002 Flexible nonplanar

•Polyethylene (100 GHz) 2.3 0.0003 polymers

•TPX (100 GHz) 2.07 0.0006 Flexible nonplanar

•Polypropylene (100 GHz) 2.26 0.0007 polymers

• Boron nitrides, Magnesium titanate etc

•Castable dielectrics: Paraffin wax, Stycast resign 35 DA etc
•Ferrite ( tanδ = 10-20): Lithium-zinc ferrite, Nickel-zinc ferrite. 38
M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Material properties
Material ϵr loss tangent
• Semi-insulating Si 12 0.001
ρ = 2x103 -105 Ω-cm
(10 GHz)

ρ = 8x103 Ω-cm 11.7 0.013

Used for monolithic
(140 GHz)
circuit (both active and
passive)
• Semi-insulating GaAs
ρ = 107 -109 Ω-cm 16 0.016
(10 GHz)

ρ = 7.8x107 Ω-cm 12.9 0.005

(140 GHz)

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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
Dielectric properties at mm-wave and terahertz

Dielectric properties of Alumina.

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M. K. Mandal, Department of E & ECE, IIT Kharagpur.
 Calculation of α and β

σ
• Complex propagation constant: γ =α + j β =jω µε 1 − j
ωε

• Power flow along a lossy line (without reflection): P ( z ) = Po e

−2α z

Leakage constant:
e −2α L
| S11 |2 + | S 21 |2 =

Phase constant by length difference method:

β= ∆θ ∆L .

• Microstrip lines and slotlines – K.C. Gupta, R. Garg, I. Bahl and P. Bhartia (Artech House).
• Microwave Engineering – D.M. Pozar, Wiley.
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Department of E & ECE, I.I.T. Kharagpur. @M.K. Mandal
 Thank you

?
mkmandal@ece.iitkgp.ernet.in
mkmandal@ieee.org
Ph. – +91-3222-283550 (o)
Department of E. & E.C.E.
I.I.T. Kharagpur, 721302.