High frequency integrated circuits

Prof. Sorin P. Voinigescu
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

16 hours, 4 credits (final test)

May 12 - May 15, 2008

Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell'Informazione: Elettronica, Informatica, Telecomunicazioni, via G. Caruso, meeting room, ground floor

Contacts: Prof. Domenico Zito

Aims

A transistor level design approach in nanoscale technologies.

A design intensive overview of high speed and high frequency monolithic integrated circuits for wireless and broadband systems with an emphasis on device-circuit topology interaction and optimisation. Noise, high-frequency common-mode and differential-mode stability and matching, methodologies for maximising circuit bandwidth, as well as layout and isolation techniques will be discussed. Practical examples, assignments, and projects on RF mm-wave or optical fibre circuits using nanoscale RF CMOS and SiGe BiCMOS technologies are provided.

The lessons strongly emphasises the interaction between device and circuit performance. The overall design philosophy is that the circuit is the transistor, and that maximising transistor and circuit performance go hand-in-hand. Properties of CMOS FETs and SiGe HBTs are examined in the context of maximising transistor performance for high-speed, low-noise, and/or highly-linear circuits.

Based on the underlying device fundamentals, step-by-step design methodologies for wireless and wireline building blocks are presented. The key to successful high frequency circuit design lies in proper transistor bias point selection, an aspect that is not addressed elsewhere. Circuit design is taught from a current-centric-density biasing approach, which relies on biasing transistors at or near their peak-f_T, peak-f_MAX, or optimal NF_MIN. These data are often supplied by semiconductor foundries, but no major textbook in the field of high-speed and RF design covers how to harness this information to maximise circuit performance. These design techniques have been verified to produce first-time silicon success in the 10-GHz to 180-GHz frequency range. Despite the complexity of modern transistors, it is shown through examples that simple design equations and hand-analysis is sufficient for successful designs even at millimetre-wave frequencies.

Syllabus

1. Introduction and overview

2. RF and optical fibre systems and IC figures of merit

• Wireless and fibre-optic systems; typical architectures
• Two-port network parameters (S, Y, Z, H, G, ABCD)
• Dynamic range, noise floor and linearity
• Jitter and phase noise
• Modulation schemes, receiver sensitivity, link budget

3. High frequency llnear noise analysis

• Noise in single-ports
• Two-port noise
• Noise in feedback and differential circuits

4. High frequency devices

• Active devices
• Comparison of SiGe HBTs and Si MOSFET FOMs
• HF passive components

5. Circuit analysis techniques for high frequency integrated circuits

• Analog vs. high frequency circuit design
• Tuned circuit topologies and signal analysis techniques
• Broadband input and output matching
• Challenges in differential circuits at high frequency

6. Tuned power amplifier design

• Tuned PA fundamentals
• Classes of tuned PAs and voltage waveforms
• Linear modulation of PAs
• Class A PA design methodology
• Examples of CMOS and SiGe HBT mm-wave PAs
• Efficiency Enhancement Techniques
• Power Combining Techniques

7. Low-noise tuned and broadband amplifier design

• LNA specification and figure of merit
• Design goals
• Low-noise design philosophy
• CE, CS and cascode LNAs
• Other LNA topologies
• LNA linearity design considerations
• Differential LNA design methodology
• Low-noise bias networks for LNAs
• Broadband low-noise amplifier topologies

8. Switches, mixers, modulators and phase-shifter design

• Mixer fundamentals
• Mixer specification
• Mixer topologies
• Downconverter mixer design methodology
• Upconverter mixer design methodology
• Examples of mixers
• Image rejection topologies
• Switches, phase shifters, modulators and delay cells

9. VCO design

• VCO fundamentals
• Low-noise VCO topologies
• VCO simulation techniques
• VCO design methodologies
• Practical VCO examples
• Frequency scaling of CMOS VCOs

10. SOC example

• 60-GHz WPAN Phased Array
• 80-GHz Doppler Radar Transceiver