The Future of High Frequency Circuit Design

The cut-off wavelengths of integrated silicon transistors have exceeded the die sizes of the chips being fabricated with them. Combined with the ability to integrate billions of transistors on the same die, this size-wavelength cross-over has produced a unique opportunity for a completely new class of holistic circuit design combining electromagnetics, device physics, circuits, and communication system theory in one place. In this paper, we discuss some of these opportunities and their associated challenges in greater detail and provide a few of examples of how they can be used in practice

A 20 dBm 5-14 GHz power amplifier with integrated planar transformers in SiGe

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2008.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 73-74).The integration of radar systems has taken a long journey into the modern world. Advances in signal processing technology and integrated circuit technology have lead the way for smaller, more integrated radar systems. Specific to the hardware side of a radar, the RF generation and detection once done in one location in the radar is now being replaced by small sub-elements which combine RF generation and detection at the element level. This work describes a power amplifier that can be used at the element level. The design methodology for a single stage amplifier in a Silicon Germanium Bipolar process covering 5-14 GHz is discussed. Simulation results and measurement results closely match and show peak power outputs of 25 dBm and peak power-added efficiencies (PAE) of approximately 32 %.by Andrew K. Mui.S.M

A Wideband 77GHz, 17.5dBm Power Amplifier in Silicon

A 77GHz, +17.5dBm fully-integrated power amplifier (PA) with 50Ω input and output matching is fabricated in a 0.12μm SiGe BiCMOS process. The power amplifier achieves a peak power gain of 17dB and a maximum single-ended output power of +17.5dBm with 12.8% of power-added efficiency (PAE). It has a 3dB bandwidth of 15GHz and draws 165mA from a 1.8V supply. Microstrip tubs are used as the transmission line structure resulting in large isolation between adjacent lines, enabling integration of the PA in a small area of 0.6mm