Developing and testing RF modules in CMOS for ISM and SRD bands using PXI platform

The ever increasing possibilities in computing provide reliable results of simulations of devices and circuits. To extract and verify sets of parameters and models it is necessary to realize measurements in the field of RF up to several GHz. The 2.4 GHz ISM band and the 868/915 MHz band are well suited for short range data transmission. In addition to proprietary solutions different standards have been established: WLAN, Bluetooth^® and ZigBee™ [1, 2]. The performance of analog and RF circuits is increasingly sensitive to sub-micron manufacturing technologies. Standard and primitive devices that are well characterized and modeled are essential to realize stable working designs without silicon iterations. RF performance improvements driven by structure sizes of 0,18 μm and below enable standard CMOS to meet specifications for many RF systems [3]. Characterization measurements can be done on evaluation boards (fig. 2) using packaged devices or on wafer using a wafer prober. The DUT can be contacted by impedance controlled RF ACP probes DC needles or test fixtures (fig. 3). Different measurement setups have been established using appropriate measurement equipment according to the kind of RF cells. Modular PXI systems offer extensive possibilities to set up test systems for different applications and complex measurements. The advantages are reduced space, energy consumption and cabling.