Scalability of RF CMOS

The scalability of advanced CMOS processes for RF applications is presented from a circuit design and system integration perspective. The impact of transistor scaling and advanced interconnects on active device performance and passive component quality is examined. Key challenges pertaining to high-level integration are assessed, including reduced supply headroom and substrate noise coupling. Effective circuit techniques and technology options for overcoming some of these limitations are reviewed. In summary, while many key RF device parameters improve with CMOS scaling, the major setbacks of lower supply voltage and higher mask cost can only be justified for products integrating RF circuits with large baseband digital blocks.