Naslov
Characteristics of radio frequency integrated circuits and device reliability in horizontal current bipolar transistor technology

Autori
Žilak, Josip

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Ocjenski radovi, doktorska disertacija

Fakultet
Fakultet elektrotehnike i računarstva

Mjesto
Zagreb

Datum
19.06

Godina
2017

Stranica
159

Mentor
Suligoj, Tomislav

Ključne riječi
Horizontal Current Bipolar Transistor (HCBT), RFIC design, double-balanced downconversion active mixer, high-linearity mixer, divide-by-two divider, device reliability, reverse-bias emitter-base stress, mixed-mode stress

Sažetak
The Horizontal Current Bipolar Transistor (HCBT) technology, as an example of the low-cost BiCMOS (bipolar complementary metal oxide semiconductor) technology, is capable of meeting the requirements of the radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). The suitability of the HCBT technology for the RFIC is demonstrated by the mixer and divider design, highlighting the HCBT as the low-cost and low-power solution with the competitive electrical characteristics. The double-balanced downconversion active mixer, as an example of RF front-end circuit, is designed. The fabricated high-linearity mixers (e.g., peak IIP3 and conversion gain of 30.3 dBm and 6.0 dB are measured for the 900 MHz input, respectively) have characteristics comparable to the characteristics of the commercial mixers targeted for the wireless communication circuits and overall wireless infrastructure. The static digital and analog dynamic divide-by-two frequency dividers, as the simple circuits, are designed demonstrating the HCBT suitability for the frequency range up to 35 GHz. In order to optimize the HCBT technology, the impact of the several technological parameters on the electrical characteristics and circuit performance is investigated. The measurement setup for both the on-wafer and packaged HCBT circuit verification is developed. The HCBT technology reliability is analyzed by employing the reverse-bias emitter-base and mixed-mode stress tests. The degradation mechanisms are investigated by the measurements and simulations. The different damage locations and carrier type responsible for the degradation under both stress tests are identified giving the technological guidelines for the HCBT reliability improvement.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Elektrotehnika

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