Low-power HF Microelectronics: A Unified Approach

1064 Pages·1996·56.423 MB·English

by  G. Machado

Circuits, Devices and Systems Series 8
Low-Power HF Microelectronics AML Low-Power HF
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This book presents a thorough and integrated treatment of key topics Gerson A.S. Machado obtained his BSc and MSc alo
in the field of low-voltage, low-power, mixed-mode design for the degrees in electrical engineering from the Federal pew
manufacture of low-cost, high-performance, robust integrated circuits. It University of Minas Gerais State, Brazil, in 1987 and p
brings together innovative modelling, simulation and design techniques 1990 respectively, and his Ph.D. degree in electrical rc A unified approach
in CMOS, SOI, GaAs and BJT, optimally combining process, device and engineering from Imperial College, London, in 1997. ote
dsmesaigrtn s kennosworlse.dge of low-voltage, high-frequency systems, including Bfvoiedutenwode iiennngs tdrhuiirsme BcetSoncrt aaotnifo dHn eMcpoStmac dSpyeasgntryee,m easns ,dh a ea mlwsoea dsle ictchatelu arenrd o f achror H
The book meets the needs of mixed-signal designers and reflects the biomedical instrumentation at the Catholic University n
rise in high-performance, ultra-low-power digital systems combined of Minas Gersa, Brazil.
with wireless multimedia telecommunications. The text is supported Machado was co-organiser and technical programme icF
throughout by realistic application examples from both industry and chair of the EBMicro95 meeting (microelectronics
for telecommunications) in Recife-PE, Brazil. He has s
academia, and a wealth of references to literature including many
Internet sources. lectured at companies and universities across the
world and has published in the fields of biomedical
In addition to being an excellent reference work, the material is and clinical engineering, technology transfer and
valuable to practising engineers and researchers in microelectronics, planning, and low-power VLSI circuit design. His
industrial and academic, as well as to senior students in this field. interests include medical instruments involving low-
power integrated electronics, modelling, simulation
‘It is the merit of this book to assemble an impressive collection of up- and design of mixed-mode ICs. Edited by Gerson A.S. Machado
to-date and original tutorial contributions from industry and university
specialists spanning the whole hierarchy of microelectronics.’
from the Foreword by Professor Eric A. Vittoz
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The Institution of Engineering and Technology d
www.theiet.org o
0 85296 874 4
978-0-85296-874-1
IET CIrCuITs and sysTEms sErIEs 8
Series Editors: Dr D.G. Haigh
Dr R.S. Soin
Low-Power HF
Microelectronics
a unified approach
CS008 i_iii picas.indd 1 18/01/2007 15:00:22
Other volumes in this series:
Volume 2 Analogue IC design: the current-mode approach C. Toumazou, F.J. Lidgey and
D.G. Haigh (Editors)
Volume 3 Analogue-digital ASICs: circuit techniques, design tools and applications
R.S. Soin, F. Maloberti and J. France (Editors)
Volume 4 Algorithmic and knowledge-based CAD for VLSI G.E. Taylor and G. Russell
(Editors)
Volume 5 Switched currents: an analogue technique for digital technology
C. Toumazou, J.B.C. Hughes and N.C. Battersby (Editors)
Volume 6 High-frequency circuit engineering F. Nibler et al.
Volume 8 Low-power high-frequency microelectronics: a unified approach
G. Machado (Editor)
Volume 9 VLSI testing: digital and mixed analogue/digital techniques S.L. Hurst
Volume 10 Distributed feedback semiconductor lasers J.E. Carroll, J.E.A. Whiteaway and
R.G.S. Plumb
Volume 11 Selected topics in advanced solid state and fibre optic sensors S.M. Vaezi-
Nejad (Editor)
Volume 12 Strained silicon heterostructures: materials and devices C.K. Maiti,
N.B. Chakrabarti and S.K. Ray
Volume 13 RFIC and MMIC design and technology I.D. Robertson and S. Lucyzyn (Editors)
Volume 14 Design of high frequency integrated analogue filters Y. Sun (Editor)
Volume 15 Foundations of digital signal processing: theory, algorithms and hardware
design P. Gaydecki
Volume 16 Wireless communications circuits and systems Y. Sun (Editor)
Volume 17 The switching function: analysis of power electronic circuits C. Marouchos
Volume 18 System on chip: next generation electronics B. Al-Hashimi (Editor)
Volume 20 Low power and low voltage circuit design with the FGMOS transistor
E. Rodriguez-Villegas
CS008 ii_iv picas.indd 1 19/01/2007 14:03:02
Low-Power HF
Microelectronics
a unified approach
Edited by Gerson A.S. Machado
The Institution of Engineering and Technology
CS008 i_iii picas.indd 2 18/01/2007 15:00:23
Published by The Institution of Engineering and Technology, London, United Kingdom
First edition © 1996 The Institution of Electrical Engineers
Reprint with new cover © 2007 The Institution of Engineering and Technology
First published 1996
Reprinted 2007
This publication is copyright under the Berne Convention and the Universal Copyright
Convention. All rights reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research
or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act, 1988, this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any
form or by any means, only with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in
the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued
by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Inquiries concerning reproduction outside those
terms should be sent to the publishers at the undermentioned address:
The Institution of Engineering and Technology
Michael Faraday House
Six Hills Way, Stevenage
Herts, SG1 2AY, United Kingdom
www.theiet.org
While the author and the publishers believe that the information and guidance given
in this work are correct, all parties must rely upon their own skill and judgement when
making use of them. Neither the author nor the publishers assume any liability to
anyone for any loss or damage caused by any error or omission in the work, whether
such error or omission is the result of negligence or any other cause. Any and all such
liability is disclaimed.
The moral rights of the author to be identified as author of this work have been
asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this product is available from the British Library
ISBN (10 digit) 0 85296 874 4
ISBN (13 digit) 978-0-85296-874-1
Printed in the UK by Lavenham Press Ltd, Lavenham
Reprinted in the UK by Lightning Source UK Ltd, Milton Keynes
CS008 ii_iv picas.indd 2 19/01/2007 14:03:02
In loving memory of my parents
Walterson Machado and
Geraldina M. Salgado

Table of contents
Foreword xxv
Preface xxvii
Acknowledgements xxix
List of contributors xxxi
1. Low-power HF microelectronics: a unified approach 1
1.1. Introduction 2
1.2. Mixed-mode technologies and integrated circuit design 3
1.2.1. TCAD and ECAD developments 3
1.2.2. Semiconductor technology developments 4
1.3. Background and directions: the RF design and applications scene 8
1.3.1. Novel receiver architectures: towards direct conversion and mixed mode
receivers 11
1.3.2. Analog issues for higher levels of integration in RF transceivers 15
1.3.3. RF simulation tools 17
1.3.3.1. "Circuit envelope" techniques for modulated and transient RF signals 17
1.3.3.2. APLAC 20
1.3.3.3. Ptolemy 22
1.4. Low-power, HF, mixed-mode: implications for engineering education
and practice 24
1.4.1. Design information and documentation 25
1.4.2. Murphy's law and systematic design-oriented characterisation 26
1.4.2.1. CMOS transistor calculator 30
1.4.2.2. Layout structure generator 3 0
1.4.3. Qualitative reasoning 32
1.4.3.1. Qualitative reasoning - a perspective view 3 2
1.4.3.2. The quality domain 35
1.4.3.3. Qualitative arithmetic 3 7
1.5. A brief tour of the chapters 39
1.6. Conclusion 45
Part 1 - Process technology
2. Device structures and device simulation techniques 57
2.1. Introduction 57
2.2. User interfaces in TCAD systems 59
viii Table of contents
2.2.1. The VISTA solution 60
2.3. The task level in TCAD systems 60
2.3.1. The VISTA solution 64
2.4. Tool integration in TCAD systems 65
2.4.1. The VISTA solution 66
2.5. A shallow trench-isolated CMOS technology 67
2.6. An ultra-low-power CMOS technology 70
2.7. A high-electron-mobility-transistor technology 78
2.8. Conclusion 78
3. Stanford's ultra-low-power CMOS technology and applications 85
3.1. Introduction 85
3.2. Background 86
3.3. Performance estimation and technology optimisation 88
3.3.1. Device physics for MOSFET scaling 89
3.3.2. Flow diagram for the analytical simulator 91
3.3.3. Physical models 92
3.3.4. Discussion 94
3.4. Energy and activity 97
3.4.1. Low-energy design 97
3.4.2. Decision, storage, communication 106
3.4.3. Architecture, power and technology scaling 108
3.5. Devices and circuits 110
3.5.1. Device and design insight for process optimisation 110
3.5.2. V variations 114
T
3.5.3. ULP design issues 117
3.5.3.1. Tools 118
3.5.3.2. Threshold assignment and variations 118
3.5.3.3. Design styles, noise margins and short-circuit current 120
3.5.3.4. Nonuniform activity ratios and external interfacing 122
3.5.3.5. Well tuning and system implementation 122
3.5.3.6. Power supply design 126
3.5.4. Spiffee, an energy-efficient ULP FFT processor 126
3.5.4.1. An FFT refresher 127
3.5.4.2. Designing in a ULP process 128
3.5.4.3. High/low activity partitioning 128
3.5.4.4. Energy efficiency comparison 130
3.6. Conclusion 132
4. SOI technology 139
4.1. SOI technology: evolution and materials 139
4.1.1. SIMOX 140
4.1.2. BESOI 150
4.2. The SOI MOSFET 152
4.3. SOI circuits 159
4.3.1. Low-voltage, low-power digital circuits 159
Table of contents ix
4.3.2. Micropower analog circuits 164
4.3.3. Radiation-hard circuits 167
4.3.3.1. Total-dose effects 167
4.3.3.2. Single-event upset 168
4.4. Reliability issues 170
4.4.1. Hot carriers 170
4.4.2. Gate oxide integrity 172
4.5. SOI Bipolar devices 172
4.6. Microwave SOI MOSFETs 174
4.7. Quantum effects in SOI devices 175
4.8. Conclusion 177
5. Radiation effects on ICs and a mixed analog CMOS-NPN-PJFET-
on-insulator technology 185
5.1. Introduction 185
5.2. Radiative environments 186
5.2.1. Space applications 186
5.2.1.1. Trapped particles 186
5.2.1.2. Cosmic rays 187
5.2.2. High-energy physics applications 187
5.2.2.1. Background 187
5.2.2.2. Future high-energy collider: LHC 188
5.2.2.3. Specifications for LHC electronic devices 189
5.3. Interactions of radiation with microelectronic devices 189
5.3.1. Interaction mechanisms: ionising and non-ionising energy losses 189
5.3.2. Ionising effects 190
5.3.2.1. Transient effects in semiconductors 190
5.3.2.2. Permanent effects in dielectrics: cumulated dose 191
5.3.3. Non ionising effects: lattice displacements 191
5.3.4. Sensitivity of commercial devices 192
5.4. A Solution for high-energy physics: DMILL technology 195
5.4.1. Advantages of SOI technologies 196
5.4.2. Description of DMILL technology 198
5.4.3. Electrical performance 199
5.4.4. Radiative performances 201
5.4.4.1. Single transistors: ionising dose effects 202
5.4.4.2. Single transistors: non-ionising effects 203
5.4.4.3. Complex devices: ionising dose effects 204
5.4.4.4. Complex devices: non-ionising effects 206
5.5. Conclusion 207
Part 2 - Device modelling/characterisation and circuit simulation
6. Modelling and characterisation of GaAs devices 211
6.1. Introduction 211
6.2. Simulation with full models 213