Terahertz (THz) and millimeter-wave (mm-wave) imaging and sensing is considered to be one of the emerging and disruptive technologies over the next decade. THz (including the W-band) waves pass through non-conducting materials such as clothes, paper, wood and brick and so cameras sensitive to them can peer inside envelopes, into living rooms and "frisk" people at distance. THz/mm-wave imaging/sensing systems, therefore, will be key enabling components in applications such as security surveillance (to find concealed weapons and explosives), non-destructive testing, biology, radio astronomy, multi-gigabit wireless connectivity, and medical imaging. One of the most critical and daunting tasks in a THz/mm-wave system is signal generation and frequency synthesis. This lecture presents a comprehensive overview and comparative study of research efforts which have explored several circuit techniques and architectures leading to highly efficient frequency synthesis and signal generation in silicon at mm-wave and terahertz frequencies.
