A printed millimeter-wave modulator and antenna array for low-complexity Gigabit-datarate backscatter communications

Abstract

In this article, a low cost ink-jet printed millimeter-wave RF front-end for low-complexity Gigabit-datarate backscatter communications was designed, fabricated and measured. The RF front-end consists of a microstrip 5×1 series-fed patch antenna array and a single E-pHEMT transistor, supporting a plethora of modulation formats, including binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), and quadrature amplitude modulation (16-QAM). The circuit was additively manufactured using inkjet printing with silver nanoparticle (SNP) inks on a flexible liquid crystal polymer (LCP) substrate. A mmWave transceiver was also designed in order to capture and downconvert the backscattered signals and route them for digital signal processing. A bit rate of 2 Gbps of backscatter transmission is demonstrated at millimeter-wave frequencies 24-28 GHz, expanding the potential of backscatter radio as an ambitious low-energy, low-complexity communication system for future IoT devices. By pushing the circuit complexity to a central station/access point, the radio’s footprint is minimized, which allows additive manufacturing, resulting in significant implementation savings and compatibility with flexible platforms. The wideband operation of these systems will enable broadband wireless transmission with less than 0.17 pJ/bit front-end consumption at 2 Gbps and combined with sensing with low-power sensors and can be integrated with wearables for challenging mobile applications in 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Car2Car Communication Using a Modulated Backscatter and Automotive FMCW Radar

“…Low-current consumption backscatter can be designed with this solution even if packaged transistors are used. In [ 8 ], a die E-PHEMT from Avago tech was used to design a 24 GHz modulated backscatter using the topology of Figure 17 b. In [ 7 ], a modulator based on an MMIC BiCMOS Cold-FET is recently presented.…”

“…Despite this drawback, the interest in millimeter wave frequency bands for communication applications has recently arisen as the technology has matured. Therefore, microwave and millimeter-wave identification (MMID) systems have been investigated at these bands (24 GHz, 60 GHz and 77 GHz) [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. The advantages of MMID systems are the use of smaller directive reader antennas as well as a higher bandwidth for data handling.…”

Spoofing Attacks on FMCW Radars with Low-Cost Backscatter Tags

“…Backscatter communication has proven to be indispensable for the deployment of Internet of Things (IoT). As communications technology in the millimeter-wave frequency band has matured, the interest in mm wave ID (MMID) and in communications applications using backscatters at these bands has grown in recent years [ 45 , 46 , 47 ]. These systems are characterized by the use of small directional reader antennas and high bandwidth for data handling.…”