T/R Module

Overview

A transmit/receive (T/R) module is the RF engine for a single channel of the massive-MIMO array. Sixty-four of these modules in the AAU give each antenna element its own amplifier and phase control, the basis for digital beamforming.

How it works

On transmit, the digitally generated signal is boosted by the Power Amplifier, a GaN-on-SiC device chosen for high efficiency and power density at sub-6 GHz. On receive, weak incoming energy is amplified first by the Low-Noise Amplifier to set the channel noise figure before any downstream loss degrades it. The Phase Shifter applies a precise, digitally programmed delay so that, summed across all 64 channels, the array's energy adds constructively in the wanted direction and cancels elsewhere. A T/R switch built from passive components alternates the module between transmit and receive in step with the TDD frame.