Frontiers in Educational Research, 2026, 9(4); doi: 10.25236/FER.2026.090401.
Benqing Guo1, Jing Gong2, Wenkai Duan1, Huifen Wang3
1Microelectronics School, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu, China
2West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
3School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, China
With the industry's pivot toward 6G and the W-band (75-110 GHz), traditional RFIC education must transcend the limitations of low-frequency, idealized transistor models. This article introduces a pedagogical reform utilizing a high-performance W-band switched-transconductance mixer as a core instructional vehicle. The curriculum prioritizes the synthesis of complex magnetic structures, specifically trifilar transformers, to address the pervasive challenge of tail-node parasitics in millimeter-wave frequency conversion. By integrating electromagnetic-circuit (EM-circuit) co-simulation and linearity analysis of pseudo-differential stages, students are equipped to bridge the gap between textbook Gilbert cells and robust silicon implementations. Results from a post-graduate pilot program indicate a substantial enhancement in their ability to manage complex millimeter-wave trade-offs, showing a significant surge in their ability to perform robust PVT and Monte Carlo analyses.
RFIC education, Millimeter-wave mixers, Transformers, 6G front-ends
Benqing Guo, Jing Gong, Wenkai Duan, Huifen Wang. Advancing Millimeter-Wave Design Competencies in Graduate CMOS RFIC Education: A Case Study on Transformer-Enhanced W-band Mixers. Frontiers in Educational Research (2026), Vol. 9, Issue 4: 1-7. https://doi.org/10.25236/FER.2026.090401.
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