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Linearity, efficiency, and power consumption are the key figures of merit for modern communication system design [1] as data rates increase toward millimeter-wave communication systems like 5G. A common problem is that both high linearity and efficiency are not simultaneously feasible in power amplifier (PA) design. Hence, when a PA is operated near saturation for highest efficiency, undesired harmonic and intermodulation distortions have to be taken into account [2], [3]. A transceiver comprises several circuit elements, such as a low-noise amplifier, mixer, and PA. In this transceiver chain, the PA usually exhibits the highest power consumption (i.e., it is worthwhile to maximize the efficiency of this circuit component to increase overall system performance) [4].

Activation of the Met receptor tyrosine kinase, either by its ligand, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), or via ligand-independent mechanisms, such as MET amplification or receptor overexpression, has been implicated in driving tumor proliferation, metastasis, and resistance to therapy. Clinical development of Met-targeted antibodies has been challenging, however, as bivalent antibodies exhibit agonistic properties, whereas monovalent antibodies lack potency and the capacity to down-regulate Met. Through computational modeling, we found that the potency of a monovalent antibody targeting Met could be dramatically improved by introducing a second binding site that recognizes an unrelated, highly expressed antigen on the tumor cell surface. Guided by this prediction, we engineered MM-131, a bispecific antibody that is monovalent for both Met and epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM). MM-131 is a purely antagonistic antibody that blocks ligand-dependent and ligand-independent Met signaling by inhibiting HGF binding to Met and inducing receptor down-regulation. Together, these mechanisms lead to inhibition of proliferation in Met-driven cancer cells, inhibition of HGF-mediated cancer cell migration, and inhibition of tumor growth in HGF-dependent and -independent mouse xenograft models. Consistent with its design, MM-131 is more potent in EpCAM-high cells than in EpCAM-low cells, and its potency decreases when EpCAM levels are reduced by RNAi. Evaluation of Met, EpCAM, and HGF levels in human tumor samples reveals that EpCAM is expressed at high levels in a wide range of Met-positive tumor types, suggesting a broad opportunity for clinical development of MM-131.

A major part of laser additive manufacturing focuses on the fabrication of metallic parts for applications in the space and aerospace sectors. Especially, the processing of the very brittle titanium aluminides can be particularly challenging because of their distinct tendency to lamellar interface cracking. In the present paper, a gamma titanium aluminide (γ-TiAl) nozzle, manufactured via electron beam melting, is extended and adapted via hybrid laser metal deposition. The presented example considers a new field of application for this class of materials and approaches the process-specific manipulation of the composition and/or microstructure via the adjustment of processing temperatures, temperature gradients and solidification conditions. Furthermore, intrinsic heat treatment is investigated for electron beam melting and laser metal deposition with powder, and the resulting influence is releated to conventional processing.

This paper provides an overview of key challenges and solutions for integrated circuits and system-integration in order to realize practical mm-wave wireless communication systems in D-band targeting data rates in the order of 100 Gbps with beam steering functionality. As key element for beam-controlled systems, the design and measurement results of a broadband, low power and digitally adjustable D-band phase shifter are presented. Additionally, system performance limits in different beam-steering architectures are derived. The presented vector modulator core exploits passive phase generation with synthesized high performance couplers, achieving a 360° phase control at a maximum power consumption of 25mW from a 2.5V supply and a maximum 3 dB bandwidth of 20 GHz. Because of its flat gain response and high control-resolution, the phase shifter can be operated within multiple multi-GHz sub-bands within the D-band.

International audience; This paper gives an overall picture from BiCMOS technologies up to THz systems integration, which were developed in the European Research project TARANTO. The European high performance BiCMOS technology platforms are presented, which have special advantages for addressing applications in the submillimeter-wave and THz range. The status of the technology process is reviewed and the integration challenges are examined. A detailed discussion on millimeter-wave characterization and modeling is given with emphasis on harmonic distortion analysis, power and noise figure measurements up to 190 GHz and 325 GHz respectively and S-parameter measurements up to 500 GHz. The results of electrical compact models of active (HBTs) and passive components are presented together with benchmark circuit blocks for model verification. BiCMOS-enabled systems and applications with focus on future wireless communication systems and high-speed optical transmission systems up to resulting net data rates of 1.55 Tbit/s are presented.

This paper presents a 28 GHz broadband low noise amplifier (LNA) with a fractional bandwidth > 32 % for 5G wireless communication systems. The LNA provides a very low noise figure, a high linearity and a compact size. These properties are essential in a 5G MIMO receiver front-end. The LNA is designed in a 130 nm SiGe BiCMOS technology and provides 24 dB gain at 28 GHz with a 3 dB-bandwidth from 21.4 to 30.6 GHz. The simulated noise figure at 28 GHz yields 2.18 dB. An input-referred 1 dB-compression point of -13.0 dBm is reached with a DC-power consumption of 25.1 mW.

The induction of an interferon-mediated response is the first line of defense against pathogens such as viruses. Yet, the dynamics and extent of interferon alpha (IFNα)-induced antiviral genes vary remarkably and comprise three expression clusters: early, intermediate and late. By mathematical modeling based on time-resolved quantitative data, we identified mRNA stability as well as a negative regulatory loop as key mechanisms endogenously controlling the expression dynamics of IFNα-induced antiviral genes in hepatocytes. Guided by the mathematical model, we uncovered that this regulatory loop is mediated by the transcription factor IRF2 and showed that knock-down of IRF2 results in enhanced expression of early, intermediate and late IFNα-induced antiviral genes. Co-stimulation experiments with different pro-inflammatory cytokines revealed that this amplified expression dynamics of the early, intermediate and late IFNα-induced antiviral genes can also be achieved by co-application of IFNα and interleukin1 beta (IL1β). Consistently, we found that IL1β enhances IFNα-mediated repression of viral replication. Conversely, we observed that in IL1β receptor knock-out mice replication of viruses sensitive to IFNα is increased. Thus, IL1β is capable to potentiate IFNα-induced antiviral responses and could be exploited to improve antiviral therapies., Author summary Innate immune responses contribute to the control of viral infections and the induction of interferon alpha (IFNα)-mediated antiviral responses is an important component. However, IFNα induces a multitude of antiviral response genes and the expression dynamics of these genes can be classified as early, intermediate and late. Here we show, based on a mathematical modeling approach, that mRNA stability as well as the negative regulator IRF2 control the expression dynamics of IFNα-induced antiviral genes. Knock-down of IRF2 resulted in the amplified IFNα-mediated induction of the antiviral genes and this amplified expression of antiviral genes could be functionally mimicked by co-stimulation with IFNα and IL1β. We observed that co-stimulation with IFNα and IL1β enhanced the repression of virus replication and that knock-out of the IL1 receptor in mice resulted in increased replication of a virus sensitive to IFNα. In sum, our studies identified IL1β as an important amplifier of IFNα-induced antiviral responses.

This paper presents a 28 GHz highly accurate phase-and gain-steering transmitter frontend for 5G phased-array repeater applications. It is designed in a 130 nm SiGe BiCMOS technology. The transmitter chain consists of a highly accurate 7-bit phase shifter, a 5-bit variable gain amplifier and an exceedingly linear analog predistorted power amplifier. The frontend provides up to 31.9 dB gain at 28 GHz and offers steering ranges of 9 dB for gain and 360° for phase. The root mean square (RMS) phase error of the transmitter frontend is less than 3.1 °, the RMS gain error results to 0.5 dB. An output-referred 1 dB-compression point (P 1 dB) of 9.9 dBm is achieved with a DC power consumption of 127.9 mW at voltage levels of 3.3/4.0 V.

Blindness caused by the eye diseases Retinitis-Pigmentosa and Age-Related-Macular-Degeneration leads to a degeneration of the photoreceptor layer while postsynaptic cells mostly stay intact. In this Paper a new concept for retinal implants is proposed. Instead of converting the incident light to a gray-scale picture with corresponding continuous-value stimulation levels, we here suggest to produce a binary image picture that only highlight edges in order to stimulate the retina solely at points which belong to an edge. An integrated test circuit is designed with a 130 nm BiCMOS process by using cellular neural networks for binary image generation. The circuit yields a simulated maximum rated power consumption of 2.61 mW for a 1000 information processing cells.

In this paper a technology independent approach for an efficient synthesis of coupled line circuits is presented. In contrast to conventional coupler design approaches, this synthesis method uses an additional process characterization step, which computes the electrical behaviour of these coupled lines in a given process layer stackup via even and odd mode simulations. Thus, the extracted behaviour information is used to determine the geometric values for a parametrized passive structure. Afterwards, a model and numerical based optimization is performed to improve the design with respect to a predefined specification target. To demonstrate this method, a Marchand balun was designed. The measured results of this balun show a maximum phase imbalance of 2° between 125 and 170 GHz and an insertion loss of maximum 2 dB for the entire D-Band.

We present a 132-147GHz power source based on four power amplifiers whose outputs are combined into a compact (0.52x0.48mm2 footprint) dielectric resonator antenna mounted on the chip face. The source, prototyped in 0.13µm SiGe BiCMOS, demonstrates an EIRP of 27dBm with a power-added efficiency of 13.8 %. Individual PAs deliver a peak Psat of 15dBm over a 3-dB bandwidth of 116-152GHz. Excited by shorted patches on chip, the maximum efficiency of the hybrid antenna is 80% over a 16% relative bandwidth. The EIRP and transmitted RF power are the highest reported for D-band silicon-based transmitters.

The present paper addresses the phenomena of hot cracking of nickel-based superalloys in the perspective of hybrid Laser Metal Deposition (combined application of induction and laser). This includes an extract of relevant theoretical considerations and the deduction of the tailored approach which interlinks material–scientific aspects with state-of-the-art manufacturing engineering. The experimental part reflects the entire process chain covering the manufacturing strategy, important process parameters, the profound analysis of the used materials, the gradual process development, and the corresponding hybrid manufacture of parts. Furthermore, hot isostatic pressing and thermal treatment are addressed as well as tensile testing at elevated temperatures. Further investigations include X-ray CT measurements, electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as well as light optical microscope evaluation. The fundamental results prove the reliable processibility of the high-performance alloys Mar-M-247 and Alloy 247 LC and describe in detail the process inherent microstructure. This includes the grain size and orientation as well as the investigation of size, shape, and distribution of the γ′ precipitates and carbides. Based on these findings, the manufacturing of more complex demonstrator parts with representative dimensions is addressed as well. This includes the selection of a typical application, the transfer of the strategy, as well as the proof of concept.

Tightly interlinked feedback regulators control the dynamics of intracellular responses elicited by the activation of signal transduction pathways. Interferon alpha (IFNα) orchestrates antiviral responses in hepatocytes, yet mechanisms that define pathway sensitization in response to prestimulation with different IFNα doses remained unresolved. We establish, based on quantitative measurements obtained for the hepatoma cell line Huh7.5, an ordinary differential equation model for IFNα signal transduction that comprises the feedback regulators STAT1, STAT2, IRF9, USP18, SOCS1, SOCS3, and IRF2. The model‐based analysis shows that, mediated by the signaling proteins STAT2 and IRF9, prestimulation with a low IFNα dose hypersensitizes the pathway. In contrast, prestimulation with a high dose of IFNα leads to a dose‐dependent desensitization, mediated by the negative regulators USP18 and SOCS1 that act at the receptor. The analysis of basal protein abundance in primary human hepatocytes reveals high heterogeneity in patient‐specific amounts of STAT1, STAT2, IRF9, and USP18. The mathematical modeling approach shows that the basal amount of USP18 determines patient‐specific pathway desensitization, while the abundance of STAT2 predicts the patient‐specific IFNα signal response., Mathematical modeling based on quantitative data reveals the molecular mechanisms that cause hypersensitization of interferon alpha (IFNα) signaling by pre‐exposure with a low dose of IFNα and desensitization with a high dose of IFNα.

In colorectal cancer (CRC), RAS mutated cancers comprise 30-50%, for which there are limited treatment options. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) has been found to selectively induce cell death in 50% of the CRC cell lines tested in vitro and this appears to be independent of RAS mutation status. Minimal clinical success was observed for first generation TRAIL receptor agonists primarily due to poor agonist activity and poor bioavailability. In addition, a biomarker to identify responsive patients was lacking. Here we present the therapeutic development of MM-201, a next generation TRAIL receptor agonist, and its companion biomarker strategy. MM-201 is composed of an IgG1 Fc fused to a single chain TRAIL trimer (Fc-scTRAIL) engineered for improved stability and activity. Using TRAIL surface display on yeast, we identified three mutations (R130G/N228S/I247V) from a random mutagenesis library that lead to enhanced surface expression and DR5 binding. Incorporation of these three mutations into each TRAIL protomer of MM-201 resulted in an improvement of greater than 10°C in TM and an extended serum half-life of 33 hours in mice compared to wild-type Fc-scTRAIL and comparable activity in a panel of colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines. To uncover predictive biomarkers for MM-201, we used continuous logic gate analysis on a publicly available dataset of cell survival for 27 CRC cell lines treated with cross-linked TRAIL cytokine. Using this dataset and gene expression data from Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia, we explored combinations of 33 differentially expressed genes in the apoptosis pathway and identified a two gene biomarker signature that positively correlated with TRAIL response in CRC cell lines. The combined signature of high DR4 and low cIAP-1 was identified with a correlation coefficient of 0.99 with MM-201 response across 15 CRC cell lines both in vitro and in vivo. Subsequently we evaluated MM-201 and our biomarker approach in vivo, in a group of five CRC patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. Four of the five models were sensitive to MM-201, with an average tumor growth inhibition (TGI) of 91%. The relative expression of DR4 and cIAP-1 in each of the PDX models was measured by RT-qPCR and the biomarker scores were observed to be significantly higher for all responding models. Given the responses observed in preclinical models, we used TCGA data to assess biomarker prevalence in patient tumor tissues. This analysis predicted that 59% of samples would have a biomarker score greater than 0.5, which correlates to a 75% reduction in cell viability in vitro. In contrast, only 12% of normal tissues had a score in this range. Our biomarker signature identifies a potentially responsive patient population and when combined with our next generation TRAIL agonist, MM-201, has the potential for development in CRC, especially for RAS mutated cancers. Citation Format: Sara Ghassemifar, Yasmin Hashambhoy-Ramsay, Haluk Yuzugullu, Tamara Utermark, Violette Paragas, Tim Maiwald, Lia Luus, Maja Razlog, Hannah Hudson, Diane Chai, Birgit Schoeberl, C. Patrick Reynolds, Peter Sorger, Andrew J. Sawyer, Daryl C. Drummond, Eric Tam. Development of a second-generation TRAIL agonist and predictive biomarker profile for colorectal cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 700.

A major part of additive manufacturing focuses on the fabrication of metallic parts in different fields of applications. Examples include components for jet engines and turbines and also implants i ...

Type I interferons (IFN) are important components of the innate antiviral response. A key signalling pathway activated by IFNα is the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway. Major components of the pathway have been identified. However, critical kinetic properties that facilitate accelerated initiation of intracellular antiviral signalling and thereby promote virus elimination remain to be determined. By combining mathematical modelling with experimental analysis, we show that control of dynamic behaviour is not distributed among several pathway components but can be primarily attributed to interferon regulatory factor 9 (IRF9), constituting a positive feedback loop. Model simulations revealed that increasing the initial IRF9 concentration reduced the time to peak, increased the amplitude and enhanced termination of pathway activation. These model predictions were experimentally verified by IRF9 over-expression studies. Furthermore, acceleration of signal processing was linked to more rapid and enhanced expression of IFNα target genes. Thus, the amount of cellular IRF9 is a crucial determinant for amplification of early dynamics of IFNα-mediated signal transduction.

In order to lead to a competitive advantage, there is the need to carefully consider the pros and cons of state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques. This is frequently carried out in a competitive ...

This work presents a system for unobtrusive cardiac feedback in daily life. It addresses the whole pipeline from data acquisition over data processing to data visualization including wearable integration. ECG signals are recorded with a novel ECG sensor supporting Bluetooth Low Energy, which is able to transmit raw ECG data as well as estimated heart rate. ECG signals are processed in real-time on a mobile device to automatically classify the user;s heart beats. A novel application for Android-based mobile devices was developed for data visualization. It offers several modes for cardiac feedback, from measuring the current heart rate to continuously monitoring the user;s heart status. It also allows to store acquired data in an internal database as well as in the Google Fit platform. Further, the application provides extensions for wearables like Google Glass and smartwatches running on Android Wear. Hardware performance evaluation was performed by comparing the course of heart rate between the novel ECG sensor and a commercial ECG sensor. The mean absolute error between the two sensors was 4.83 bpm with a standard deviation of 4.46 bpm, and a Pearson correlation of 0.922. A qualitative evaluation was performed for the Android application with special emphasis on the daily usability and the wearable integration. When the Google Glass was integrated, the subjects rated the application as 2.8/5 (0 = Bad, 5 = Excellent), whereas when the application was integrated with a smartwatch the rating increased to 4.2/5.

Summary: Modeling of dynamical systems using ordinary differential equations is a popular approach in the field of systems biology. Two of the most critical steps in this approach are to construct dynamical models of biochemical reaction networks for large datasets and complex experimental conditions and to perform efficient and reliable parameter estimation for model fitting. We present a modeling environment for MATLAB that pioneers these challenges. The numerically expensive parts of the calculations such as the solving of the differential equations and of the associated sensitivity system are parallelized and automatically compiled into efficient C code. A variety of parameter estimation algorithms as well as frequentist and Bayesian methods for uncertainty analysis have been implemented and used on a range of applications that lead to publications. Availability and implementation: The Data2Dynamics modeling environment is MATLAB based, open source and freely available at http://www.data2dynamics.org. Contact: andreas.raue@fdm.uni-freiburg.de Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Signaling pathways are characterized by crosstalk, feedback and feedforward mechanisms giving rise to highly complex and cell-context specific signaling networks. Dissecting the underlying relations is crucial to predict the impact of targeted perturbations. However, a major challenge in identifying cell-context specific signaling networks is the enormous number of potentially possible interactions. Here, we report a novel hybrid mathematical modeling strategy to systematically unravel hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) stimulated phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) and mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling, which critically contribute to liver regeneration. By combining time-resolved quantitative experimental data generated in primary mouse hepatocytes with interaction graph and ordinary differential equation modeling, we identify and experimentally validate a network structure that represents the experimental data best and indicates specific crosstalk mechanisms. Whereas the identified network is robust against single perturbations, combinatorial inhibition strategies are predicted that result in strong reduction of Akt and ERK activation. Thus, by capitalizing on the advantages of the two modeling approaches, we reduce the high combinatorial complexity and identify cell-context specific signaling networks., Author Summary Cellular responses to extracellular stimuli are driven by activation of intracellular signaling pathways. The interconnections between signaling pathways contribute to the high complexity of signaling networks, therefore playing an important role in response to treatment in pathological conditions. Thus, unraveling the network structure in a cell-context specific manner is key to predict cellular responses to perturbations. Here, we present a novel hybrid mathematical modeling strategy taking advantage of qualitative and quantitative modeling approaches. We combine interaction graph and dynamic modeling with quantitative experimental data to study the hepatocyte growth factor induced signaling network in primary mouse hepatocytes. Specifically, we analyze the interconnections within and between PI3K and MAPK signaling pathways involved in hepatocytes proliferation. Based on literature knowledge, more than 100000 potential network structures are possible. By applying our approach, we reduce this combinatorial complexity and select 16 minimal model structures. Subsequently, by performing a systematic model selection we select the model structure representing the experimental data best. We experimentally validate the resulting best model structure, and, based on model simulation, we are able to predict the outcome of combinatorial treatments. Our hybrid approach is applied to unravel cell-context specific network structures and to predict the outcome of intervention strategies.

Transmembrane channel proteins play pivotal roles in maintaining the homeostasis and responsiveness of cells and the cross-membrane electrochemical gradient by mediating the transport of ions and molecules through biological membranes. Therefore, computational methods which, given a set of 3D coordinates, can automatically identify and describe channels in transmembrane proteins are key tools to provide insights into how they function. Herein we present PoreWalker, a fully automated method, which detects and fully characterises channels in transmembrane proteins from their 3D structures. A stepwise procedure is followed in which the pore centre and pore axis are first identified and optimised using geometric criteria, and then the biggest and longest cavity through the channel is detected. Finally, pore features, including diameter profiles, pore-lining residues, size, shape and regularity of the pore are calculated, providing a quantitative and visual characterization of the channel. To illustrate the use of this tool, the method was applied to several structures of transmembrane channel proteins and was able to identify shape/size/residue features representative of specific channel families. The software is available as a web-based resource at http://www.ebi.ac.uk/thornton-srv/software/PoreWalker/., Author Summary Transmembrane channel proteins are responsible for the transport of ions and molecules through biological membranes and are pivotal for the physiology of the cell. In fact, their incorrect functioning is involved or related to several diseases (diabetes, myotonia, Parkinson's disease, etc.). Moreover, their specificity and selectivity to different ions or molecules have been hypothesized and sometimes shown to strongly depend on the shape and size or amino acid composition of the channel. Therefore, computational methods to identify and quantitatively characterise channel geometry in transmembrane protein structures are key tools to better understand how they function. We have developed PoreWalker, a new method to detect and describe the geometry of these channels in transmembrane proteins from their 3D structures. The method is fully automated, very user-friendly, identifies the location of the channel and derives a number of channel features: diameter profiles at given heights along the channel, all the residues lining the channel walls, size, shape and regularity of the channel. These features can be very helpful in the study of how these channels might function. We have applied PoreWalker to several channel protein structures and were able to identify shape/size/residue features that were representative of specific channel families.

In this paper an adjustable-resonance down-conversion Gilbert Micromixer is proposed and investigated. For the circuit realization a 130nm BiCMOS process technology is used. The Micromixer is designed for single-ended to single-ended operation. A differential to single-ended conversion at the output of the mixer is realized by using a tuneable reactive current mirror. The output power can be adjusted by adjusting the center-frequency of the reactive tunable load. In this way, the Micromixer features an almost linear tuning range for output power adjustment. Analog predistortion is used for linearity enhancement. The Micromixer is simulated, designed and measured. A S-parameter and an output power measurement shows the effect of resonance-tuning and output power adjustment. The mixer yields a broadband low-Q matching network and a simulated power conversion gain of −1dB for maximum power adjustment at 28GHz as well as a measured power consumption of 69.3mW.

In this paper a highly linear, analog predistorted 28 GHz stacked power amplifier (PA) for 5G is presented. A 130 nm BiCMOS process is used for the circuit realization. The usage of a diode predistorter for analog predistortion is investigated for the stacked PA design and compared to a circuit without predistortion. It is shown, that the linearity of the stacked PA is significantly improved compared to a conventional biasing topology at almost no additional layout size. The measurement shows an overall large signal gain of 14.6 dB and the simulated power added efficiency (PAE) reaches 26 %. The circuit yields a measured input-referred 1 dB compression point (P 1dB ) of 1.5 dBm. Hence, the amplifier is able to provide 16 dBm output power at P DC =40mW. The simulated circuit performance fits well with the measured results.

In this paper, a design methodology for automated Marchand balun design is shown. The goal of this methodology is a balun providing the lowest insertion loss at the smallest phase imbalance. The design process is realized by using the EM simulator Sonnet, Matlab and the Matlab-Sonnet interface. The implemented algorithm is using a simulation-based characterization of the semiconductor process and a mathematical model of the balun. For this characterization an even and odd mode analysis is carried out. Hence, the electrical and dielectric properties, such as the characteristic impedance and the effective permittivity, are determined. This enables a precise “first guess simulation” of the balun, minimizing the required number of optimization iterations. As an example, a D-band Marchand balun is presented here, that was designed with this methodology. The measurement results show a phase imbalance less than 7° over the entire D-band and an insertion loss smaller than 1.75dB. To the best of the author's knowledge, there was no software tool that enables automated development for Marchand baluns yet, although it is widely used.

In this paper, a switchable, passively tuneable 28 GHz to 39 GHz upconversion link for a 5G repeater is proposed and investigated. The upconversion link features an ultra efficient method for output power level adjustment as well as a size efficient broadside coupler for control signal extraction. A tuning range of 7 dB is realized at almost no additional layout effort and zero power consumption. The design yields a measured large signal power gain of 13.8 dB and an input-referred 1 dB compression point of −7.1 dBm; a linearity improvement of 4 dB is achieved by using analog predistortion. For the broadside coupler an insertion loss of −2.2 dB and a coupling of −14 dB is realized. The broadside coupler consumes an area of $340 \mu\mathrm{m} \times 220\mu\mathrm{m}$ .

This brief presents a broadband D-band down-conversion mixer in a cost efficient 130nm SiGe BiCMOS technology with a ft/fmax of 250/370GHz from Infineon Technologies AG. The proposed mixer covers the entire D-band with a 32dB peak conversion gain and a 3dB bandwidth of 35GHz at a measured noise figure between 9.5 and 12dB in the specified band while consuming only 65mW DC power. To achieve large RF and IF bandwidths and a low noise figure, the mixer design is based on a low-biased switching quad, which is loaded with a modified Cherry-Hooper transimpedance amplifier. The results, which are verified by measurements, are based on a detailed analysis of the transistor characteristics, broadband matching networks and an appropriate layout parasitic extraction. All interfaces to the circuit are designed single-ended for a dense chip-to-package transition. For this purpose, high performance Marchand baluns are used at RF- and LO-port, respectively. With a moderate noise figure and a low power consumption, the presented circuit meets the requirements for beyond 5G systems.