Bidirectional common-path for 8-to-24 gHz low noise SiGe BiCMOS T/R module core-chip

This thesis is based on the design of an 8-to-24 GHz low noise SiGe BiCMOS Transmitter/Receiver (T/R) Module core-chip in a small area by bidirectional common-path. The next-generation phased array systems require multi-functionality and multi-band operation to form multi-purpose integrated circuits. Wide bandwidth becomes a requirement for the system in various applications, such as electronic warfare, due to leading cheaper and lighter system solutions. Although III-V technologies can satisfy the high-frequency specifications, they are expensive and have a large area. The silicon-based technologies promise high integration capability with low cost, but they sacrifice from the performance to result in desired bandwidth. The presented dissertation targets system and circuit level solutions on the described content. The wideband core-chip utilized a bidirectional common path to surpass the bandwidth limitations. The bidirectionality enhances the bandwidth, noise, gain and area of the transceiver by the removal of the repetitive blocks in the unidirectional common chain. This approach allows succeeding desired bandwidth and compactness without sacrificing from the other high-frequency parameters. The realized core-chip has 31.5 and 32 dB midband gain for the receiver and transmitter respectively, with a + 2.1 dB /GHz of positive slope. Its RMS phase and amplitude errors are lower than 5.60 and 0.8 dB, respectively for 4-bit of resolution. The receiver noise figure is lower than 5 dB for the defined bandwidth while dissipating 112 mW of power in a 5.5 mm2 area. The presented results verify the advantage of the favored architecture and might replace the III-V based counterparts

SiGe BiCMOS ICs for X-Band 7-Bit T/R module with high precision amplitude and phase control

Over the last few decades, phased array radar systems had been utilizing Transmit/Receive (T/R) modules implemented in III-V semiconductor based technologies. However, their high cost, size, weight and low integration capability created a demand for seeking alternative solutions to realize T/R modules. In recent years, SiGe BiCMOS technologies are rapidly growing their popularity in T/R module applications by virtue of meeting high performance requirements with more reduced cost and power dissipation with respect to III-V technologies. The next generation phased array radar systems require a great number of fully integrated, high yield, small-scale and high accuracy T/R modules. In line with these trends, this thesis presents the design and implementation of the first and only 7-Bit X-Band T/R module with high precision amplitude and phase control in the open literature, which is realized in IHP 0.25μ SiGe BiCMOS technology. In the scope of this thesis, sub-blocks of the designed T/R module such as low noise amplifier (LNA), inter-stage amplifier, SiGe Hetero-Junction Bipolar Transistor (HBT) Single- Pole Double-Throw (SPDT) switch and 7-Bit digitally controlled step attenuator are extensively discussed. The designed LNA exhibits Noise Figure (NF) of 1.7 dB, gain of 23 dB, Output Referred Compression Point (OP1dB) of 16 dBm while the inter-stage amplifier gives measured NF of 3 dB, gain of 15 dB and OP1dB of 18 dBm. Moreover, the designed SPDT switch has an Insertion Loss (IL) of 1.7 dB, isolation of 40 dB and OP1dB of 28 dBm. Lastly, the designed 7-Bit SiGe HBT digitally controlled step attenuator demonstrates IL of 8 dB, RMS attenuation error of 0.18 dB, RMS phase error of 2° and OP1dB of 16 dBm. The 7-Bit T/R module is constructed by using the sub-blocks given above, along with a 7- Bit phase shifter (PS) and a power amplifier (PA). Post-layout simulation results show that the designed T/R module exhibits a gain of 38 dB, RMS phase error of 2.6°, RMS amplitude error of 0.82 dB and Rx-Tx isolation of 80 dB across X-Band. The layout of T/R module occupies an area of 11.37 mm2

High-frequency silicon-germanium reconfigurable circuits for radar, communication, and radiometry applications

The objective of the proposed research is to create new reconfigurable RF and millimeter-wave circuit topologies that enable significant systems benefits. The market of RF systems has long evolved under a paradigm where once a system is built, performance cannot be changed. Companies have recognized that building flexibility into RF systems and providing mechanisms to reconfigure the RF performance can enable significant benefits, including: the ability support multiple modulation schemes and standards, the reduction of product size and overdesign, the ability to adapt to environmental conditions, the improvement in spectrum utilization, and the ability to calibrate, characterize, and monitor system performance. This work demonstrates X-band LNA designs with the ability to change the frequency of operation, improve linearity, and digitally control the tradeoff between performance and power dissipation. At W-band frequencies, a novel device configuration is developed, which significantly improves state-of-the-art silicon-based switch performance. The excellent switch performance is leveraged to address major issues in current millimeter-wave systems. A front-end built-in-self-test switch topology is developed to facilitate the characterization of millimeter-wave transceivers without expensive millimeter-wave equipment. A highly integrated Dicke radiometer is also created to enable sensitive measurements of thermal noise.Ph.D

Radio Frequency and Millimeter Wave Circuit Component Design with SiGe BiCMOS Technology

The objective of this research is to study and leverage the unique properties and advantages of silicon-germanium (SiGe) heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) integrated circuit technologies to better design radio frequency (RF) and millimeter wave (mm-wave) circuit components. With recent developments, the high yield and modest cost silicon-based semiconductor technologies have proven to be attractive and cost-effective alternatives to high-performance III-V technology platforms. Between SiGe bipolar complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (BiCMOS) technology and advanced RF complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology, the fundamental device-level differences between SiGe HBTs and field-effect transistors (FETs) grant SiGe HBTs clear advantages as well as unique design concerns. The work presented in this dissertation identifies several advantages and challenges on design using SiGe HBTs and provides design examples that exploit and address these unique benefits and problems with circuit component designs using SiGe HBTs.Ph.D

Millimeter-Wave Concurrent Dual-Band BiCMOS RFIC Front-End Module for Communication and Sensing Systems

This dissertation presents new circuit architectures and techniques for improving several key performances of BiCMOS RFIC building blocks that are used in wireless communication and sensing systems operating at millimeter-wave frequencies. The developed circuits and front-end module can be employed in concurrent dual-band transceivers for communication and sensing systems such as phased array and RFID systems. New 0.18-μm CMOS dual-bandpass filtering single-pole double-throw (SPDT) and transmit/receive (T/R) switches have been developed, and they operate in two different frequency bands centered at around 40 and 60 GHz (Design 1) and 24 and 60 GHz (Designs 2, 3 and 4). Design 1 is a concurrent dual-bandpass filtering T/R switch consisting of three SPDT switches based on a 3rd order band-pass filter with shunt nMOS transistors as the switching function. Design 2 is a 24/60-GHz concurrent dual-bandpass T/R switch consisting of dual-band λ/4 LC networks and resonators with shunt nMOS transistors as the switching function. Design 3 is a dual-band SPDT and T/R switches, which are capable of band-pass filtering as well as separate and concurrent switching operations in single/dual-band and transmission/reception. These components can act as diplexers with switching functions. Design 4 is a wideband concurrent dual-band SPDT switch with integrated dual-bandpass filtering, which is configured to make it approximately equivalent to a dual-band resonator in the on-state operation. A fully integrated 24/60-GHz concurrent dual-band LNA utilizing a dual-band LC circuit has been proposed. The LNA is based on a two-stage cascode topology with inductive degeneration. The dual-band LC circuit has the quarter-wavelength characteristic at two different frequencies, and it shows the dual pass-band and single stop-band characteristics when it is connected to the ground in shunt. Due to the cancellation of the stop-band signal and low-pass response by the LC circuit connected to the cascode nodes of the 1st and 2nd stages in the LNA, the LNA presents high stop-band rejection and good gain balance at 24 and 60 GHz. A concurrent dual-band front-end module (FEM) consisting of a 24/60-GHz dual-band antenna, a five-port T/R switch, two LNAs and one PA has been proposed. The FEM can be employed in systems with dual-polarization, for instance, phased array and RFID reader systems

NEW APPROACHES TO WIDEBAND RF SWITCHING IN SILICON-GERMANIUM TECHNOLOGY

The objective of this research is to develop and investigate radio frequency (RF) switches utilizing silicon-germanium (SiGe) heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) to provide a novel design approach for next-generation wideband circuits and systems. SiGe HBTs offer relatively small parasitic capacitance, making them suitable for wideband RF switching transistors with low insertion loss. Despite the available performance, the effective utilization of SiGe HBTs as RF series switches remains largely unexplored. The research presented in this dissertation introduces a novel RF series switch architecture, namely an anti-parallel (AP) SiGe HBT pair, as a potential wideband switching element for next-generation systems. The benefits of this novel RF series switch architecture are investigated, as well as insightful optimization techniques and an analysis of its operational principles. The dissertation then provides implemented design examples and develops design techniques leveraging properties possessed by the AP SiGe HBT pair.Ph.D

Millimeter-Wave Concurrent Dual-Band BiCMOS RFICs for Radar and Communication RF Front-End

The recent advancement in silicon-based technologies has offered the opportunity for the development of highly-integrated circuits and systems in the millimeter-wave frequency regime. In particular, the demand for high performance multi-band multi-mode radar and communication systems built on silicon-based technologies has been increased dramatically for both military and commercial applications. This dissertation presents the design and implementation of advanced millimeter-wave front-end circuits in SiGe BiCMOS process including a transmit/receive switch module with integrated calibration function, low noise amplifier, and power amplifier for millimeter-wave concurrent dual-band dual-polarization radars and communication systems. The proposed circuits designed for the concurrent dual-band dual-polarization radars and communication systems were fabricated using 0.18-μm BiCMOS process resulting in novel circuit architectures for concurrent multi-band operation. The developed concurrent dual-band circuits fabricated on 0.18-μm BiCMOS process include the T/R/Calibration switch module for digital beam forming array system at 24.5/35 GHz, concurrent dual-band low noise amplifiers at 44/60 GHz, and concurrent dual-band power amplifier at 44/60 GHz. With having all the design frequencies closely spaced to each other showing the frequency ratio below 1.43, the designed circuits provided the integrated dual-band filtering function with Q-enhanced frequency responses. Inspired by the composite right/left- handed metamaterial transmission line approaches, the integrated Q-enhanced filtering sub-circuits provided unprecedented dual-band filtering capability. The new concurrent dual-band dual-mode circuits and system architecture can provide enhanced radar and communication system performance with extended coverage, better image synthesis and target locating by the enhanced diversity. The circuit level hardware research conducted in this dissertation is expected to contribute to enhance the performance of multi-band multi-mode imaging, sensing, and communication array systems

CMOS Front-End Circuits in 45-nm SOI Suitable for Modular Phased-Array 60-GHz Radios

Next Fifth-generation (5G) wireless technologies enabling ultra-wideband spectrum availability and increased system capacity can achieve multi-gigabit/s (Gbps) data rates suitable for ultra-high-speed internet access around the 60-GHz band (i.e., Wi-Gig Technology). This mm-wave band is unlicensed and experiences high propagation power losses. Therefore, it is suitable for short-range communications and requires antenna arrays to satisfy the link budget requirements. Half-duplex reconfigurable phased-array transceivers require wideband, low-cost, highly integrated front-end circuits such as bilateral RF switches, low-noise/power amplifiers, passive RF splitters/combiners, and phase shifters implemented in deep sub-micron CMOS. In this dissertation, analysis, design, and verification of essential CMOS front-end components are covered and fabricated in GlobalFoundries 45-nm RF-SOI CMOS technology. Firstly, a fully-differential, single-pole, single-throw (SPST) switch capable of high isolation in broadband CMOS transceivers is described. The SPST switch realizes better than 50-dB isolation (ISO) across DC to 43 GHz while maintaining an insertion loss (IL) below 3 dB. Measured RF input power for 1-dB compression (IP1dB) of the IL is +19.6 dBm, and the measured input third-order intercept point (IIP3) is +30.4 dBm (both assuming differential inputs at 20 GHz). The prototype has an active area of 0.0058 mm^2. Secondly, a single-pole double-throw (SPDT) switch is implemented using the SPST concept by using a balun to convert the shared differential path to a single-ended antenna port. The SPDT simulations predict less than 3.5-dB IL and greater than 40-dB ISO across 55 to 65 GHz frequency band. An IP1dB of +21 dBm is expected from large-signal simulations. The prototype has an active area of 0.117 mm^2. Thirdly, a fully-differential switched-LC topology adopted with slow-wave artificial transmission line concept, and phase inversion network is described for a 360-degree phase shift range with 11.25-degree phase resolution. The average IL of the complete phase shifter is 5.3 dB with less than 1-dB rms IL error. Furthermore, the IP1dB of the phase shifter is +16 dBm. The prototype has an active area of 0.245 mm^2. Lastly, a fully-differential, 2-stage, common-source (CS) low-noise amplifier (LNA) is developed with wideband matching from 57.8 GHz to 67 GHz, a maximum simulated forward power gain of 20.8 dB, and a minimum noise figure of 3.07 dB. The LNA consumes 21 mW and predicts an OP1dB of 4.8 dBm from the 1-V supply. The LNA consumes an active area of 0.028 mm^2

RF-MEMS Switch Module in a 0.25 µm SiGe:C BiCMOS Process

Drahtlose Kommunikationstechnologien im Frequenzbereich bis 6 GHz wurden in der Vergangenheit in Bezug auf Leistungsfaehigkeit und Frequenzbereich kontinuierlich verbessert. Aufgrund der Skalierung nach dem Mooreschen Gesetz koennen heutzutage mm-Wellen Schaltkreise in CMOS-Technologien hergestellt werden. Durch die Einfuehrung von SiGe zur Realisierung einer leistungsfaehigen BiCMOS-Technologie wurde ebenfalls eine Verbesserung der Frequenzeigenschaften und Ausgangsleistungen erreicht, wodurch aktive CMOS- oder BiCMOS-Bauelemente vergleichbare Leistungsparameter zu III-V Technologien bei geringeren Kosten bereitstellen koennen. Bedingt durch das niederohmige Silizium-Substrat der BiCMOS-Technologie weisen vor allem passive Komponenten hoehere Verluste auf und weder III-V- noch BiCMOS-Technologien bieten hochlineare Schaltkomponenten mit geringen Verlusten und geringen Leistungsaufnahmen im mm-Wellen Bereich. RF-MEMS Schalter sind bekannt fuer ihre ausgezeichneten HF-Eigenschaften. Die Leistungsaufnahme von elektrostatisch angetriebenen RF-MEMS Schaltern ist vernachlaessigbar und es koennen im Vergleich zu halbleiter-basierten Schaltern hoehere Leistungen verarbeitet werden. Nichtsdestotrotz wurden RF-MEMS Schalter hauptsaechlich als eigenstaendige Komponenten entwickelt. Zur Systemintegration wird meist ein System-in-Package (SiP) Ansatz angewandt, der fuer niedrige Frequenzen geeignet ist, aber bei mm-Wellenanwendungen durch parasitaere Verluste an seine Grenzen stoesst. In dieser Arbeit wird ein in eine BiCMOS-Technologie integrierter RF-MEMS Schalter fuer mm-Wellen Anwendungen gezeigt. Das Design, die Integration und die experimentellen Ergebnisse sowie verschiedene Packaging-Konzepte werden beschrieben Zur Bereitstellung der hohen Auslenkungs-Spannungen wurde eine Ladungspumpe auf dem Chip integriert. Zum Schluss werden verschiedene, rekonfigurierbare mm-Wellen Schaltkreise zur Demonstration der Leistungsfaehigkeit des Schalters gezeigt.Wireless communication technologies have continuously advanced for both performance and frequency aspects, mainly for the frequencies up to 6 GHz. The results of Moore’s law now also give the opportunity to design mm-wave circuits using advanced CMOS technologies. The introduction of SiGe into CMOS, providing high performance BiCMOS, has also enhanced both the frequency and the power performance figures. The current situation is that the active devices of both CMOS and BiCMOS technologies can provide performance figures competitive with III-V technologies while having still the advantage of low cost. However, similar competition cannot be pronounced for the passive components considering the low-resistive substrates of BiCMOS technologies. Moreover, both III-V and BiCMOS technologies have the lack of low-loss and low-power consumption, as well as highly linear switching and tuning components at mm-wave frequencies. RF-MEMS switch technologies have been well-known with excellent RF- performance figures. The power consumption of electrostatic RF-MEMS switches is negligible and they can handle higher power levels compared to their semiconductor counterparts. However, RF-MEMS switches have been mostly demonstrated as standalone processes and have started to be used as commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) devices recently. The full system integration is typically done by a System-in-Package (SiP) approach. Although SiP is suitable for lower frequencies, the packaging parasitics limit the use of this approach for the mm-wave frequencies. In this thesis, a fully BiCMOS embedded RF-MEMS switch for mm-wave applications is proposed. The design, the implementation and the experimental results of the switch are provided. The developed RF-MEMS switch is packaged using different packaging approaches. To actuate the RF-MEMS switch, an on-chip high voltage generation circuit is designed and characterized. The robustness and the reliability performance of the switch are also presented. Finally, the developed RF-MEMS switch is successfully demonstrated in re-configurable mm-wave circuits