Radio-frequency integrated circuits for portable communications

A new market has emerged in the form of portable wireless communications devices, operating in the 900 MHz to 2 GHz range, where miniaturization and low-energy operation is sought through the aggressive large-scale integration typical of silicon ICs, yet the circuit design style at times resembles MMICs. Early indications suggest that silicon will be the technology of choice in this application, because analog and digital functions can freely intermingle on the IC, and because the transistor f_T both in production bipolar and CMOS technologies is adequate for operation in this range. This paper summarizes some of the key radio-frequency integrated circuit developments in the last thirty years, the majority of which have been developed for consumer use. From this survey, it projects what developments may be reasonably expected in the architectures and circuit blocks of RF ICs over the next five to ten years