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Radio frequency reliability studies of CMOS RF integrated circuits for ultra-thin flexible packages

Mitra, D. ; Hamidi, S. B. ; Roy, P. LU orcid ; Biswas, C. ; Biswas, A. and Dawn, D. (2020) In Electronics Letters 56(6). p.280-282
Abstract

This Letter presents for the first time radio frequency (RF) reliability studies of fully integrated CMOS RF integrated circuits (RFICs) for next generation wireless communication applications involving conformal bodies where wireless communication RFICs will be embedded on ultra-thin flexible packages. As a test case, RF characteristics of a CMOS voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) chip with multiple diesubstrate thicknesses were measured and results are analysed. The CMOS VCO chip under study was designed and fabricated using 180 nm RF-CMOS process. Reliability of performances of the VCO chips are characterised and results are compared before and after die thinning from 250 to 50, 35, and 25 μm, respectively. Critical RF performance... (More)

This Letter presents for the first time radio frequency (RF) reliability studies of fully integrated CMOS RF integrated circuits (RFICs) for next generation wireless communication applications involving conformal bodies where wireless communication RFICs will be embedded on ultra-thin flexible packages. As a test case, RF characteristics of a CMOS voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) chip with multiple diesubstrate thicknesses were measured and results are analysed. The CMOS VCO chip under study was designed and fabricated using 180 nm RF-CMOS process. Reliability of performances of the VCO chips are characterised and results are compared before and after die thinning from 250 to 50, 35, and 25 μm, respectively. Critical RF performance parameters such as frequency of oscillation, output power, and phase noise are considered for analysis, respectively. All the dies are placed face-up for probing on the top of a metal chuck with ground connection inside the micro-chamber of a probe station. While the deviations of frequency and output power are within ±1% and ±1 dB, respectively, due to the die thinning affect, the phase noise deteriorations are observed significant. It confirms the wellknown fact of phase noise sensitiveness to the substrate thickness due to the leakage and SOI CMOS is discussed widely to minimise these parasitic effects.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Electronics Letters
volume
56
issue
6
pages
3 pages
publisher
IEE
external identifiers
  • scopus:85082520458
ISSN
0013-5194
DOI
10.1049/el.2019.3420
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
bf612d46-0474-4153-b784-09fc06df4bc5
date added to LUP
2020-04-21 16:12:41
date last changed
2025-04-04 15:14:31
@article{bf612d46-0474-4153-b784-09fc06df4bc5,
  abstract     = {{<p>This Letter presents for the first time radio frequency (RF) reliability studies of fully integrated CMOS RF integrated circuits (RFICs) for next generation wireless communication applications involving conformal bodies where wireless communication RFICs will be embedded on ultra-thin flexible packages. As a test case, RF characteristics of a CMOS voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) chip with multiple diesubstrate thicknesses were measured and results are analysed. The CMOS VCO chip under study was designed and fabricated using 180 nm RF-CMOS process. Reliability of performances of the VCO chips are characterised and results are compared before and after die thinning from 250 to 50, 35, and 25 μm, respectively. Critical RF performance parameters such as frequency of oscillation, output power, and phase noise are considered for analysis, respectively. All the dies are placed face-up for probing on the top of a metal chuck with ground connection inside the micro-chamber of a probe station. While the deviations of frequency and output power are within ±1% and ±1 dB, respectively, due to the die thinning affect, the phase noise deteriorations are observed significant. It confirms the wellknown fact of phase noise sensitiveness to the substrate thickness due to the leakage and SOI CMOS is discussed widely to minimise these parasitic effects.</p>}},
  author       = {{Mitra, D. and Hamidi, S. B. and Roy, P. and Biswas, C. and Biswas, A. and Dawn, D.}},
  issn         = {{0013-5194}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{03}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{280--282}},
  publisher    = {{IEE}},
  series       = {{Electronics Letters}},
  title        = {{Radio frequency reliability studies of CMOS RF integrated circuits for ultra-thin flexible packages}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1049/el.2019.3420}},
  doi          = {{10.1049/el.2019.3420}},
  volume       = {{56}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}