The precise measurement of absolute signal power in the frequency range around 80 GHz is a challenging task. This is mainly caused by the measurement devices and the required connectors which do have relatively loose specifications resulting in limited accuracy. The variation of insertion loss when connecting the device under test to the measurement equipment, further contributes to the inaccuracy of the measurement. Even automated measurement setups cannot eliminate this effect, which results in a bad repeatability of the test. Especially for products which are manufactured in high volumes, and need to be tested according to automotive quality standards, this inaccuracy is problematic. This results in a need for new concepts of so called Built-In Self-Test circuitry, to reduce the test time and complexity of the devices. It is part of this thesis to investigate, develop and verify a thermal-based method for on-chip power measurement. A temperature dependent resistor (also known as thermistor), which does not require any additional manufacturing steps is used for implementation. This allows straight forward integration in existing manufacturing processes. Potential field of use for the thermistor sensor will be transceiver devices for automotive radar applications in the frequency range around 80 GHz. A detailed design description of four different prototypes shows the implementation possibilities for the thermal-based sensor in state of the art transceiver devices. The achieved results are promising and give the ideal basis for further integration of the sensor in products manufactured in high volume.    «

The precise measurement of absolute signal power in the frequency range around 80 GHz is a challenging task. This is mainly caused by the measurement devices and the required connectors which do have relatively loose specifications resulting in limited accuracy. The variation of insertion loss when connecting the device under test to the measurement equipment, further contributes to the inaccuracy of the measurement. Even automated measurement setups cannot eliminate this effect, which results i...    »