Modular, multi-channel beamformer front-end integrated circuits for millimeter wave applications

A radar system, comprising:

• a plurality of beamformer tiles, wherein each of the plurality of beamformer tiles comprises:
• an array of radiating elements;
• and
• a plurality of radio frequency (RF) integrated circuits (RFICs) coupled to the array of radiating elements and configured to apply phase shifting and transmit signaling directed to the array of radiating elements for a transmit operation and return signaling from the array of radiating elements for a receive operation, wherein a beamformer tile of the plurality of beamformer tiles comprises one RFIC for every sixteen radiating elements of the array of radiating elements, and wherein the plurality of RFICs are mounted on a first surface of a substrate and the array of radiating elements are mounted on a second surface of the substrate, the first surface is opposite the second surface,
• wherein each of the plurality of radio frequency integrated circuits comprises a plurality of Multiple-In-Multiple-Out (MIMO) channels that are coupled to a subset of the array of radiating elements,
• wherein the plurality of beamformer tiles are arranged to form a MIMO configuration using one or more virtual receive arrays,
• wherein the plurality of beamformer tiles comprises a transmit beamformer tile and a receive beamformer tile, and
• wherein the transmit beamformer tile operating as a transmit antenna and the receive beamformer tile operating as a receive antenna are configured to operate as a virtual array having a virtual aperture greater than an aperture of either the transmit beamformer tile or the receive beamformer tile.

A beamformer tile, comprising:

• a substrate layer;
• an array of antenna elements patterned on a first surface of the substrate layer;
• and
• one radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) for every sixteen antenna elements of the array of antenna elements, wherein the one RFIC is coupled to a second surface of the substrate layer, and the first surface is opposite the second surface,
• wherein the RFIC is adapted to form a beam for the antenna elements,
• wherein the array is a transmit array and is adapted for operation with a second beamformer tile configured to operate as a receive antenna,
• wherein the beamformer tile configured to operate as a transmit antenna, and
• wherein the beamformer tile operating as the transmit antenna and the second beamformer tile operating as the receive antenna are configured to operate as a virtual array having a virtual aperture greater than an aperture of the beamformer tile.