In this paper, we introduce the first integrated circuit (IC) implementation of spatiotemporally modulated angular-momentum (STM-AM)-biased magnetless circulators. The design is based on a modified current-mode topology, which is less… Click to show full abstract
In this paper, we introduce the first integrated circuit (IC) implementation of spatiotemporally modulated angular-momentum (STM-AM)-biased magnetless circulators. The design is based on a modified current-mode topology, which is less sensitive to parasitics and relies on switched capacitors rather than varactors to achieve the desired modulation, thus reducing the circuit complexity and easing its chip-scale realization. We analyze the presented circuit and study its performance in the presence of inevitable nonidealities using an in-house so-called composite Floquet scattering matrix (CFSM) numerical method. We also validate the analysis with simulated and measured results using a standard 180-nm CMOS technology, showing good performance. Compared to previous discrete implementations of STM-AM circulators, the presented CMOS chip reduces the form factor by at least an order of magnitude and occupies a total area of only 36 mm2.
               
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