Overview

Passive components are indispensable in the design and development of microchips for high-frequency applications. Inductors in particular are used frequently in radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) such as low noise amplifiers (LNAs) and oscillators. Currently analog/mixed-signal/RF product designs incorporating both CMOS and bipolar active elements have emerged as a potential technology for communication applications. Radio frequency (RF) system-on-chip (SoC) designs require high-performance passive components - particularly on - chip inductors and capacitors. As chip geometries get smaller and operating speeds increase, the physical effects of parasitic capacitance, resistance and inductance become increasingly significant. For RF and wireless applications, the key requirements include high Q passive elements, superior active devices, robust frequency domain tools and accurate parasitic extraction. The technology and tool set must support building monolithic RF building blocks with an eye towards integrating the entire radio on a chip. Important requirements can be more easily understood by examining the features and technology requirements of some key wireless building blocks (see in Table 11.1).