The Overview
Movandi’s phased-array antenna module (PAAM) design, which comprises over 300 antennas, leverages the scale and cost efficiency of TSMC’s bulk CMOS technology to deliver breakthrough performance. Movandi’s phased-array antenna module delivers a suitable combination of output power, cost, antenna count, and energy efficiency for mmWave infrastructure applications.
Who Needs It and Why?
For those enmeshed in the buildout of mmWave 5G infrastructure, this demonstration by Movandi of an advanced PAAM design based on TSMC’s bulk CMOS process is a watershed moment. CMOS technology provides industry-leading cost, effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP), and DC efficiency when compared to other options. Movandi’s CMOS-based PAAM has the potential to blend a low price point, moderate output power per port, optimal antenna count, and excellent thermal density into an overall solution for end-product design.
Under the Hood
The PAAM incorporates Movandi’s production-shipping beamformer, up/down converter, and synthesizer chips. Deep application RAMs on all Movandi chipsets allow programmable schedules and a large beam-book for dynamic control and fast beam steering. A symbol-level PAAM controller enables accurate time-division duplexing (TDD), AGC, and beamforming, as well as power-saving modes that include symbol-level power save and tapering.
The Movandi PAAM was developed to support a custom O-RAN radio unit product and is capable of >59 dBm EIRP per beam. The PAAM is configurable in several modes of operation including 2T2R, 4T4R, and 8T8R. The PAAM achieves this EIRP while maintaining better than 4% error-vector magnitude (EVM).