A 130-to-170 GHz Reconfigurable Heterodyne/Homodyne Transceiver Achieving 20.5-dBm P_sat for Emerging Integrated Wireless Access and Backhaul Networks

Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) is an emerging wireless communication technology that combines wireless access and backhaul transmission within a single network infrastructure. As shown in Fig. 1, the IAB donor provides communication access to mobile users while handling wireless backhaul to IAB nodes via a wired connection to a data center. These IAB nodes then offer wireless access to users and manage backhaul traffic, acting as wireless relays to extend the coverage of the IAB donor. This setup is particularly beneficial in scenarios where line-of-sight (LoS) propagation is obstructed by obstacles like buildings. To support the evolving IAB network, the wireless transceiver must be reconfigurable between homodyne and heterodyne modes to address both backhaul and wireless access needs. However, current mm-wave/sub-THz transceivers typically use either zero-IF or heterodyne topologies, which are not ideal for the dynamic demands of IAB networks. This paper presents a 130-to-170GHz reconfigurable heterodyne/homodyne transceiver specifically designed for IAB networks. In homodyne mode, the transceiver facilitates data transfer between data centers and the IAB donor, while in heterodyne mode, it supports wireless connections between IAB nodes and users. Fabricated using 130nm SiGe technology, the transceiver achieves a measured saturated output power of 20.5 dBm, a minimum noise figure of 8.2 dB, and a 40 GHz bandwidth. Over-the-air (OTA) measurements confirm that the transceiver, operating in both modes, supports 16-QAM at 10 Gbps and 64-QAM at 3.6 Gbps, with corresponding EVM values of -15.7 dB and -23 dB. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a reconfigurable heterodyne/homodyne transceiver tailored for IAB networks.