Researchers present a 39 GHz transceiver with built-in calibration for fifth-generation (5G) applications. The advantages to be gained include better quality communications as well as cost-effective scalability.

A team of more than 20 researchers at Tokyo Tech and NEC Corporation has successfully demonstrated a 39 GHz transceiver that could be used in the next wave of 5G wireless equipment including base stations, smartphones, tablets and Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications.

Although research groups including the current team have until now largely focused on developing 28 GHz systems, 39 GHz will be another important frequency band for realizing 5G in many parts of the world.

The new transceiver is based on a 64-element (4 x 16) phased-array[1] design. Its built-in gain phase calibration means that it can improve beamforming[2] accuracy, and thereby reduce undesired radiation and boost signal strength.

Fabricated in a standard 65-nanometer CMOS[3] process, the transceiver’s low-cost silicon-based components make it ideal for mass production — a key consideration for accelerated deployment of 5G technologies.

The researchers showed that the built-in calibration has a very low root-mean-square (RMS) phase error of 0.08°. This figure is an order of magnitude lower than previous comparable results. While transceivers developed to date typically suffer from high gain variation of more than 1 dB, the new model has a maximum gain variation of just 0.04 dB over the full 360? tuning range.

Story Source: Materials provided by Tokyo Institute of Technology. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.