Title :
Characterizing and optimizing high Q inductors for RFIC design in silicon processes
Author :
Rotella, Francis ; Howard, David ; Racanelli, Marco ; Zampardi, Pete
Author_Institution :
Skyworks Solutions, Irvine, CA, USA
Abstract :
A novel metric for assessing inductor performance of advanced silicon RF process technology is proposed. The metric makes use of measured data and a verified physical model to generate a design space involving quality factor, inductance and area. Examples for technologies with top metal thickness ranging from 3 μm to 6 μm and dielectric thickness ranging from 4.5 μm to 8.5 μm are presented. Conclusions are drawn regarding the usefulness of thicker dielectrics and metal layers for RF applications in the 900 MHz to 10 GHz range.
Keywords :
Q-factor; elemental semiconductors; equivalent circuits; inductors; integrated circuit design; radiofrequency integrated circuits; silicon; 3 to 8.5 micron; 900 MHz to 10 GHz; RF applications; RFIC design; Si; Si processes; design space; dielectric thickness; high Q inductors; inductance; inductor area; inductor performance; performance metric; physical model; quality factor; top metal thickness; Area measurement; Design optimization; Dielectric measurements; Inductance measurement; Inductors; Process design; Radio frequency; Radiofrequency integrated circuits; Silicon; Space technology;
Conference_Titel :
Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits (RFIC) Symposium, 2003 IEEE
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-7694-3
DOI :
10.1109/RFIC.2003.1213957
