Bidirectional 6-Bit Active Phase Shifter in W-Band

In this letter, a novel W-band switchless bidirectional active phase shifter with 6-bit resolution is proposed. The circuit is implemented in the SiGe:C BiCMOS technology using a Gilbert-cell core configured in a way to combine the reciprocity of passive phase shifters with the compactness of active topologies. The circuit exhibits a maximum average gain of -7.4 and -8.2 dB in two directions while maintaining the RMS amplitude and phase error lower than 0.84 dB and 3.4° within 85- 100 GHz, respectively. The phase shifter uses 0.04 mm2 of the IC area and the DC power of 38 mW in each direction from a 2.4-V supply voltage, excluding the phase control circuitry.