Transmit and receive techniques for terahertz sensing systems

A method for use with a device, the device comprising a substrate having signal generation circuitry and a transmitter mounted thereon, the substrate defining a plane extending in a first direction and a second direction that are orthogonal to one another, the transmitter comprising a first transmit semiconductor die having integrated thereon a first transmit antenna array and first transmit circuitry, the first transmit antenna array comprising a first plurality of transmit RF antennas, and the first transmit circuitry comprising a first plurality of RF amplifiers and a first plurality of frequency multipliers coupled between the first plurality of RF amplifiers and the first plurality of transmit RF antennas, the method comprising:

• generating, using the signal generation circuitry, a reference RF signal;
• transmitting, using the first plurality of transmit RF antennas, first RF signals having a first RF center frequency in a particular frequency range within a range of 150 GHz to 1.5 THz;
• driving, using the first plurality of RF amplifiers, the first plurality of transmit RF antennas with first amplified RF signals based on the reference RF signal;
• and
• converting, using the first plurality of frequency multipliers, the first amplified RF signals from the first plurality of RF amplifiers to the first RF center frequency to obtain the first RF signals.

A device, comprising:

• a substrate defining a plane extending in a first direction and a second direction that are orthogonal to one another;
• signal generation circuitry mounted on the substrate and configured to generate a reference RF signal;
• a transmitter mounted on the substrate, the transmitter comprising:
• a first transmit semiconductor die having integrated thereon:
• a first transmit antenna array comprising a first plurality of transmit RF antennas configured to transmit first RF signals having a first RF center frequency in a particular frequency range within a range of 150 GHz to 1.5 THz;
• and
• first transmit circuitry comprising:
• a first plurality of RF amplifiers configured to drive the first plurality of transmit RF antennas with first amplified RF signals based on the reference RF signal;
• and
• a first plurality of frequency multipliers coupled between the first plurality of RF amplifiers and the first plurality of transmit RF antennas and configured to convert the first amplified RF signals from the first plurality of RF amplifiers to the first RF center frequency to obtain the first RF signals;
• a receiver mounted on the substrate, the receiver comprising:
• a first receive semiconductor die having integrated thereon:
• a first receive antenna array comprising a first plurality of receive RF antennas configured to receive second RF signals having the first RF center frequency;
• and
• first receive circuitry configured to mix the second RF signals with third RF signals, generated based on the reference RF signal, to obtain fourth RF signals;
• interface circuitry mounted on the substrate and coupled to the first receive circuitry, the interface circuitry comprising analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) circuitry configured to digitize the fourth RF signals to obtain digitized fourth RF signals;
• and
• processing circuitry mounted on the substrate and coupled to the interface circuitry, the processing circuitry configured to determine, based on the digitized fourth RF signals, a distance between the device and a target object that reflected the first RF signals to generate, at least in part, the second RF signals.