V-Band Multi-Port Direct Down-Conversion Receivers: Experimental Implementations and Performance Comparison
Résumé
In this work, two V-band direct down-conversion receivers, based on the multi-port concept, are designed, fabricated, and tested. The first one adopts a Miniature Hybrid Microwave Integrated Circuit (MHMIC) process on thin film ceramic substrate. Whereas, the second one is based on the rectangular waveguide (WR12) technology using a high precision machining, on a brass block. Both structures are successfully characterized through a reliable experimental setup. The performance in terms of Error Vector Magnitude (EVM) for various M-ary PSK modulated signals are investigated and compared. In this context, the fabricated MHMIC prototype shows a better performance (EVM does not exceed 5.7 % for all demodulation schemes), despite the complexity involved in the integration process and high sensitivity to fabrication errors.