rf and analog/mixed- signal technologies for wireless communications

8/17/2019 RF and Analog/Mixed- Signal Technologies for Wireless Communications

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ITRS: RF and Analog/Mixed-

Signal Technologies for Wireless

Communications

Nick Krajewski

CMPE 640

11/16/2005


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IntroductionIntroduction

4 Working Groups within Wireless Analog and Mixed Signal (0.8 – 10 GHz) (Covered today)

RF Transceivers (0.8 – 10 GHz) (Covered today)

Power Amplifiers and Power Management (0.8 – 10GHz)

Millimeter Wave (10-100GHz)

PA’s and Power Management and Millimeter Waveto be covered by Chandra on 11/30.


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Analog and Mixed Signal: Scope Analog and Mixed Signal: Scope

1) Analog speed devices (although the speed is mainlydriven by RF there are certain analog-specific needs for

both high speed bipolar and CMOS)

2) Analog precision MOS device scaling but withrelatively high voltages to achieve high signal to noise

ratios and low signal distortion

3) Capacitors, and resistors; all devices are optimized forprecision, matching performance, 1/f noise, low non-

linearity, and low temperature gradients.


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Analog and Mixed Signal:Difficult Challenges

Analog and Mixed Signal:Difficult Challenges

Signal isolation between digital and analog regions of the chip. Integrating analog and high-performance digital functions on a

chip (scaling). Difficult to maintain analog performance

parameters (mismatch and 1/fnoise together with new high-κ gate

dielectrics). Transition to analog supply voltage of less than 1.8V.

Integration of analog functions in digital CMOS (depending on

new materials or device structures added to digital CMOS

process). Problems include SOI, double-gate devices andchanges in material choices for passive devices. Transition to

analog supply voltage of less than 1.0V.


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Analog and Mixed Signal:Technology Requirements Analog and Mixed Signal:Technology Requirements

2.5–1.82.5–1.82.5–1.82.5–1.82.5–1.8 Analog Supply

Voltage (V)

1.11.11.11.21.2Digital SupplyVoltage (V)

DRAM ½ Pitch (nm) 5057657080

20092008200720062005


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Analog and Mixed Signal:Potential Solutions

Analog and Mixed Signal:Potential Solutions

SOI and SIP (combines circuits on differenttechnologies and is optimized for desired

functions)

On-chip passive components

Device matching

Integrated shielding structures


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Analog and Mixed Signal: 2004Updates

Analog and Mixed Signal: 2004Updates

Technology requirements aligned for analogdevices with Low Standby Power (LSTP)

roadmap instead of Low Operating Power (LOP)

roadmap.

Challenges for reducing 1/f noise in high-k

dielectrics relaxed to color coding of yellow fromred.


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RF Transceivers: ScopeRF Transceivers: Scope

Process technologies – CMOS and Si or SiGeBiCMOS.

Applications – low noise amplifiers (LNAs),

frequency synthesis and logic, voltage controlledoscillators, driver amplifiers, and filters.

Devices include NPN bipolar transistors, RF-

MOS (NMOS) field effect transistors, inductors,varactors, RF capacitors, and resistors.


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RF Transceivers: Scope cont’dRF Transceivers: Scope cont’d

Primary metrics for performance are maxfrequency at unity current gain (max Ft), max

frequency at unity power gain (Fmax), noise

figure, and trade-offs among power, noise, andlinearity.

Assumes frequency is 800 MHz to 10 GHz range.

Covers GSM, CDMA, Wideband CDMA, 802.11 protocol

for local area networks, and ultra wideband (UWB).


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RF Transceivers: DifficultChallenges

RF Transceivers: DifficultChallenges

Aggressive scaling of passive elements(capacitors and inductors)

Reducing cost of BiCMOS technology while

improving power and performance, and improvingperformance of RF-CMOS devices

Signal isolation

Improving the performance (Ft and Fmax) ofactive devices (long term)


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RF Transceivers: TechnologyRequirements

RF Transceivers: TechnologyRequirements

1.51.51.51.81.8Vcc (V)347302262228198Peak Ft (GHz)

387330295256239Peak Fmax (GHz)

NMOS

310260220190160Peak Fmax (GHz)

NPN

240

1.2

572008

280200170140Peak Ft (GHz)

1.11.21.31.3Vdd (V)

50657080DRAM ½ Pitch (nm)2009200720062005


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RF Transceivers: PotentialSolutions

RF Transceivers: PotentialSolutions

Improve Ft up to 300 GHz – vertical and lateral scaling Improve Ft above 300 GHz – atomic layer epitaxy

Laterally diffused channels to improve performance of

high voltage devicesMetal gates

For MIM capacitors – high-k dielectrics

For inductors – thicker layers of Cu and thicker top

dielectrics


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RF Transceivers: 2004 UpdatesRF Transceivers: 2004 Updates

Similar to Near Term Table, lag between RadioFrequency (RF) CMOS gate length and BiCMOS

gate length occurs in Long Term Table.

RFCMOS: technology requirements maintained 1

year lag from LSTP roadmap.


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Questions?

rf and analog/mixed- signal technologies for wireless communications

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