Topical Meeting on Silicon Monolithic Integrated Circuits in RF Systems 

About: Topical Meeting on Silicon Monolithic Integrated Circuits in RF Systems is an academic conference. The conference publishes majorly in the area(s): CMOS & Amplifier. Over the lifetime, 1038 publications have been published by the conference receiving 7505 citations.

Half-Terahertz SiGe BiCMOS technology

Abstract: This paper addresses the integration of a new generation of high-speed SiGe HBTs with f T / f max of 300/500 GHz and minimum CML ring oscillator gate delays of 2.0 ps in a 0.13 μm BiCMOS technology. Technological measures for improving the speed of the HBTs compared to our first 0.13 μm BiCMOS generation are discussed. These include scaling of lateral device dimensions and doping profiles as well as a reduced thermal budget and reduced salicide resistance.

A Thin-Film SOI 180nm CMOS RF Switch Technology

Abstract: This paper describes a 180nm CMOS thin film SOI technology developed for RF switch applications. For the first time we show that the well-known harmonic generation issue in HRES SOI technologies can be suppressed with one additional mask. Power handling, linearity, and Ron*Coff product are competitive with GaAs pHEMT and silicon-on-sapphire technologies. Index Terms — RF switch, thin film SOI, wireless, CMOS

Identification of RF Harmonic Distortion on Si Substrates and its Reduction Using a Trap-Rich Layer

Abstract: Harmonic distortion (HD) is measured arising from coplanar waveguide structures on various substrates at 900 MHz, and significant distortion for silicon substrates is demonstrated for the first time. For an input power of +35 dBm, 2nd harmonic power of -47 dBm and 3rd of -57 dBm are measured for a thru calibration structure on oxidized high-resistivity silicon (HRS) substrates, and 2nd harmonic of -23 and 3rd of -20 dBm for a longer line on a thinner oxide. These levels are high compared to a full cellular transmit switch product specification of -45 and -40 dBm for 2nd and 3rd harmonics, respectively, at similar power levels. The contribution of the silicon substrate to high harmonic levels is investigated experimentally, and an efficient technological solution based on the introduction of a trap-rich layer is demonstrated.

Transceiver front-end architectures using vibrating micromechanical signal processors

Abstract: Transceiver architectures are proposed that best harness the tiny size, zero DC power dissipation, and ultra-high-Q of vibrating micromechanical resonator circuits. Among the more aggressive architectures proposed are one based on a micromechanical RF channel-selector and one featuring an all-MEMS RF front-end. These architectures maximize performance gains by using highly selective, low-loss micromechanical circuits on a massive scale, taking full advantage of Q versus power trade-offs. Micromechanical filters, mixer-filters, and switchable synthesizers are identified as key blocks capable of substantial power savings when used in the aforementioned architectures. As a result of this architectural exercise, more focused directions for further research and development in RF MEMS are identified.

Measurement and modeling of thermal resistance of high speed SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors

Abstract: Thermal resistance has been measured for high speed SiGe HBTs with various emitter widths and lengths. The smaller devices exhibited higher thermal resistance values, but eventually resulted in lower junction temperature rise for a given power density. A physical model has been developed which showed good agreement with the measurements. The model indicates that the thermal resistance depends strongly on the deep trench geometry. The thermal resistance is also anticipated to increase with the existence of adjacent devices due to a heat dissipation interference, according to the model.