In this article, 150-GHz CMOS transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) are presented for contactless and plastic waveguide communications. The implemented system employs a four-level pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM-4) and noncoherent detection. The direct upconversion TX and self-mixing RX suffer amplitude nonlinearity and distort the carrier-modulated multilevel signals. A current-mode digital predistortion is integrated in the PAM-4 modulator to correct the nonlinearity for the carrier-modulated multilevel signaling. Coupling antennas are designed on FR4-HR substrates. The same antenna launches electromagnetic energy into plastic waveguides to extend the communication distance. A plastic printed circuit board (PCB) is introduced by inserting plastic waveguides into copper-coated slots on PCBs to realize terahertz PCB communications. The TX and RX are fabricated in the 28-nm standard bulk CMOS process. The system consumes 60.2 mW under 1.2/1.5 V supply while transferring 30 Gb/s PAM-4 data, achieving 2.01 pJ/bit energy efficiency.

中文翻译：

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具有数字预失真 PAM-4 调制的 150GHz CMOS TX/RX 用于太赫兹非接触式/塑料波导通信

本文介绍了用于非接触式和塑料波导通信的 150 GHz CMOS 发射器 (TX) 和接收器 (RX)。实施的系统采用四级脉冲幅度调制 (PAM-4) 和非相干检测。直接上变频 TX 和自混频 RX 遭受幅度非线性和载波调制多电平信号失真。电流模式数字预失真集成在 PAM-4 调制器中，以校正载波调制多电平信号的非线性。耦合天线设计在 FR4-HR 基板上。相同的天线将电磁能量发射到塑料波导中以延长通信距离。塑料印刷电路板（PCB）是通过将塑料波导插入PCB上的镀铜槽中来实现太赫兹PCB通信的。TX 和 RX 采用 28 纳米标准体 CMOS 工艺制造。该系统在 1.2/1.5 V 电源下消耗 60.2 mW，同时传输 30 Gb/s PAM-4 数据，实现 2.01 pJ/bit 能效。