A 2.4GHz CMOS Quadrature Voltage-Controlled Oscillator Based on Symmetrical Spiral Inductors and Differential Diodes

A voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) which can generate 2 4GHz quadrature local oscillating (LO) signals is reported.It combines a LC VCO,realized by on chip symmetrical spiral inductors and differential diodes,and a two stage ring VCO.The principle of this VCO is demonstrated and further the phase noise is discussed in detail.The fabrication of prototype is demonstrated using 0 25μm single poly five metal N well salicide CMOS digital process.The reports show that the novel VCO is can generate quadrature LO signals with a tuning range of more than 300MHz as well as the phase noise--104 33dBc/Hz at 600KHz offset at 2 41GHz (when measuring only one port of differential outputs).In addition,this VCO can work in low power supply voltage and dissipate low power,thus it can be used in many integrated transceivers.

Parameter Extraction for 2-π Equivalent Circuit Model of RF CMOS Spiral Inductors

A novel parameter extraction method with rational functions is presented for the 2-πequivalent circuit model of RF CMOS spiral inductors. The final S-parameters simulated by the circuit model closely match experimental data. The extraction strategy is straightforward and can be easily implemented as a CAD tool to model spiral inductors. The resulting circuit models will be very useful for RF circuit designers.

Canonic Realizations of Voltage-Controlled Floating Inductors Using CFOAs and Analog Multipliers

New voltage-controlled floating inductors employing CFOAs and an analog multiplier have been presented which have the attractive features of using a canonic number of passive components (only two resistors and a capacitor) and not requiring any component-matching conditions and design constraints for the intended type of inductance realization. The workability and applications of the new circuits have been demonstrated by SPICE simulation and hardware experimental results based upon AD844-type CFOAs and AD633-type/MPY534 type analog multipliers.

Novel Substrate pn Junction Isolation for RF Integrated Inductors on Silicon

A new method for reducing the substrate rated losses of integrated spiral inductors is presented.The method is to block the eddy currents induced by spiral inductors by directly forming pn junction isolation in the Si substrate. The substrate pn junction can be realized by using the standard silicon technologies without any additional processing steps.Integrated inductors on silicon are designed and fabricated. S parameters of the inductor based equivalent circuit are investigated and the inductor parameters are calculated.The impacts of the substrate pn junction isolation on the inductor quality factor are studied.The experimental results show that substrate pn junction isolation in certain depth has achieved a significant improvement.At 3GHz,the substrate pn junction isolation increases the inductor quality factor by 40%.

Fabrication of Meander and Spiral Type Micro Inductors

To obtain microstructure of magnetic devices, the thin film inductors were fabricated by the process such as thin film manufacturing, photolithography and wet etching. The frequency characteristics of these devices are measured at high frequency range. When the inductor sizes of the spiral and the meander type are same, the inductance and the quality factor of the spiral type inductor are larger than those of the meander type inductor, but the driving frequency of the spiral type inductor is lower than that of the meander type inductor.

A Novel Local-Dielectric-Thickening Technique for Performance Improvements of Spiral Inductors on Si Substrates

A novel local-dielectric-thickening technique i s presented for performance improvements of Si-based spiral inductors.This technique employs the processes of deposition,photolithography,and wet-etching,to locally thicken the oxide layer under the inductor,which can decrease the substrate loss and improve the inductor performance.Both the structures and processes are compact,economical,and compatible with CMOS processing.Several square spiral inductors with different inductances are fabricated,and the quality factors and the self-resonant frequencies both increase clearly with this proposed technique:for the 10nH,5nH,and 2nH inductors,the peak quality factors are effectively improved by 46.7%,49.7%,and 68.6%,respectively;however,the improvement percents of the self-resonant frequencies are more significant,which are 92.1%,91.0%,and no less than 68.1% respectively.

Analysis and Optimum Design of Differential Inductors Using Distributed Capacitance Model

A distributed capacitance model for monolithic inductors is developed to predict the equivalently parasitical capacitances of the inductor.The ratio of the self-resonant frequency (f SR) of the differential-driven symmetric inductor to the f SR of the single-ended driven inductor is firstly predicted and explained.Compared with a single-ended configuration,experimental data demonstrate that the differential inductor offers a 127% greater maximum quality factor and a broader range of operating frequencies.Two differential inductors with low parasitical capacitance are developed and validated.

Analysis of Differences in Inductance of Ni-Cu-Zn Ferrite Chip Inductors during the Plating Process

Although plating is a necessary process for SMT components, it alters the magnetic characteristics and inductance level of Ni-Cu-Zn ferrite components. The results of this work show that the following three factors in plating affect these components, and the effects are different for Ni- and Sn-plating： （1） Plating layers exert stresses and react with the residual stress of components to change the inductance level, and the effect of the tin layer is greater than that of the nickel one; （2） The plating current induces a magnetic field inside the components directly and indirectly, and this remains as remanence inside the components and reduces the inductance level, and the effect level of Ni-plating is greater than that of Sn-plating; （3） The plating solution corrodes the interface of the termination and ferrite core of the components to release the residual stress, and causes an increase in inductance, and the effect of Sn-plating is greater than that of Ni-plating. In addition, the inductance level is the result of the net effect of these three factors, and if the sintering temperature is increased to change in the type of residual stress, the net effect will be changed.

The coupling effect of air-bridges on broadband spiral inductors in SiC-based MMIC technology

The coupling effect of air-bridges on broadband spiral inductors in SiC-based MMIC technology has been investigated deeply. The fabricated 1-nH spiral inductor on SiC substrate demonstrates a self-resonant frequency of 51.6 GHz, with a peak Q-fact of 12.14 at 22.1 GHz. From the S-parameters measurements, the exponential decay phenomenon is observed for L, Q-factor, and SRF with the air-bridge height decreasing, and an analytic expression is concluded to exactly fit the measured data which can be used to predict the performance of the spiral inductor. All the coefficients in the formula have specific meaning. By means of establishing the lumped model, the parasitic coupling capacitance of the air-bridge has been extracted and presents the exponential decay with the air-bridge heights decreasing which indicates that this capacitor is directly related to the coupling effect of the air-bridge. Through the electromagnetic field distribution simulation, the details of the electric field around the air-bridge have been presented which demonstrate the formation and the variation principles of the coupling effect.

Layout Design and Optimization of RF Spiral Inductors on Silicon Substrate

The effects of key geometrical parameters on the performance of integrated spiral inductors are investigated with the 3D electromagnetic simulator HFSS.While varying geometrical parameters such as the number of turns(N),the width of the metal traces(W),the spacing between the traces(S),and the inner diameter(ID),changes in the performance of the inductors are analyzed in detail.The reasons for these changes in performance are presented.Simulation results indicate that the performance of an integrated spiral inductor can be improved by optimizing its layout.Some design rules are summarized.

Magnetic-Particle-Composite-Medium-Filled Stacked-Spiral Inductors for Radio-Frequency CMOS Applications

Magnetic-particle-composite-medium-filled stacked-spiral inductors for rf complementary metal oxide semiconductor(CMOS)applications in GHz are demonstrated.The new inductor features a nearly closed magnetic circuit loop,an optimized high-permeability and low-loss sub-1μm magnetic particles'composite core,and a developed 0.18-μm CMOS-compatible device fabrication process.An equivalent circuit model with structural amplifying factors is proposed and modeled.The prototype of the 6-level stacked inductor with Co_(2)Z magnetic-particles-composite-medium filling increases the inductance L by 50%,and quality factor Q by 37%at frequencies as high as 1 GHz,with high inductance density as 825 nH/mm2 and a reduced size area by 80%compared to the planar spiral inductor.

Effect of lateral structure parameters of SiGe HBTs on synthesized active inductors

The effect of lateral structure parameters of transistors including emitter width, emitter length, and emitter stripe number on the performance parameters of the active inductor （AI）, such as the effective inductance Ls, quality factor Q, and self-resonant frequency too is analyzed based on 0.35%tm SiGe BiCMOS process. The simulation results show that for AI operated under fixed current density Jc, the HBT lateral structure parameters have significant effect on Ls but little influence on Q and 090, and the larger Ls can be realized by the narrow, short emitter stripe and few emitter stripes of SiGe HBTs. On the other hand, for AI with fixed HBT size, smaller Jc is beneficial for AI to obtain larger Ls, but with a cost of smaller Q and 090. In addition, under the fixed collector current Ic, the larger the size of HBT is, the larger Ls becomes, but the smaller Q and ab become. The obtained results provide a reference for selecting geometry of transistors and operational condition in the design of active inductors.

Fabrication and Performance of Novel RF Spiral Inductors on Silicon

This paper discusses fabrication and performance of novel circular spiral inductors on silicon. The substrate materials underneath the inductor coil are removed by wet etching process. In the fabrication process, fine polishing of the photoresist is used to simplify the processes and ensure perfect contact between the seed layer and the top of pillars. Dry etching technique is used to remove the seed layer. The results show that Q-factor of the inductor is greatly improved by removing silicon underneath the inductor coil. The spiral inductor with line width of 50 μm has a peak Q-factor of 10 for the inductance of 2.5 nH at frequency of 1 GHz, and the resonance frequency of the inductor is about 8.5 GHz. For the inductor of conductor width 80 μm, the peak Q-factor increases to about 17 for inductance of 1.5 nH in the frequency range of 0.05 -3.00 GHz.

A compact and reconfigurable low noise amplifier employing combinational active inductors and composite resistors feedback techniques

A compact and reconfigurable low noise amplifier(LNA)is proposed by combining an input transistor,composite transistors with Darlington configuration as the amplification and output transistor,T-type structure composite resistors instead of a simplex structure resistor,a shunt inductor feedback realized by a tunable active inductor(AI),a shunt inductor peaking technique realized by another tunable AI.The division and collaboration among different resistances in the T-type structure composite resistor realize simultaneously input impedance matching,output impedance matching and good noise performance;the shunt feedback and peaking technique using two tunable AIs not only extend frequency bandwidth and improve gain flatness,but also make the gain and frequency band can be tuned simultaneously by the external bias of tunable AIs;the Darlington configuration of composite transistors provides high gain;furthermore,the adoption of the small size AIs instead of large size passive spiral inductor,and the use of composite resistors make the LNA have a small size.The LNA is fabricated and verified by GaAs/InGaP hetero-junction bipolar transistor(HBT)process.The results show that at the frequency of 7 GHz,the gain S_(21)is maximum and up to 19 dB;the S_(21)can be tuned from 17 dB to 19 dB by tuning external bias of tunable AIs,that is,the tunable amount of S_(21)is 2 dB,and similarly at 8 GHz;the tunable range of 3 dB bandwidth is 1 GHz.In addition,the gain S_(21)flatness is better than 0.4 dB under frequency from 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz;the size of the LNA only has 760μm×1260μm(including PADs).Therefore,the proposed strategies in the paper provide a new solution to the design of small size and reconfigurable ultra-wideband(UWB)LNA and can be used further to adjust the variations of gain and bandwidth of radio frequency integrated circuits(RFICs)due to package,parasitic and the variation of fabrication process and temperature.

Reluctance Network Analysis for Complex Coupled Inductors

The use of reluctance networks has been a conventional practice to analyze transformer structures. Basic transformer structures can be well analyzed by using the magnetic-electric analogues discovered by Heaviside in the 19th century. However, as power transformer structures are getting more complex today, it has been recognized that changing transformer structures cannot be accurately analyzed using the current reluctance network methods. This paper presents a novel method in which the magnetic reluctance network or arbitrary complexity and the surrounding electrical networks can be analyzed as a single network. The method presented provides a straightforward mapping table for systematically linking the electric lumped elements to magnetic circuit elements. The methodology is validated by analyzing several practical transformer structures. The proposed method allows the analysis of coupled inductor of any complexity, linear or non-linear.

A 65 nm CMOS high efficiency 50 GHz VCO with regard to the coupling effect of inductors

A 50 GHz cross-coupled voltage controlled oscillator（VCO） considering the coupling effect of inductors based on a 65 nm standard complementary metal oxide semiconductor（CMOS） technology is reported.A pair of inductors has been fabricated,measured and analyzed to characterize the coupling effects of adjacent inductors. The results are then implemented to accurately evaluate the VCO＇s LC tank.By optimizing the tank voltage swing and the buffer＇s operation region,the VCO achieves a maximum efficiency of 11.4%by generating an average output power of 2.5 dBm while only consuming 19.7 mW（including buffers）.The VCO exhibits a phase noise of-87 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset,leading to a figure of merit（FoM） of-167.5 dB/Hz and a tuning range of 3.8%（from 48.98 to 50.88 GHz）.

An improved single-π equivalent circuit model for on-chip inductors in GaAs process

An improved single-π equivalent circuit model for on-chip inductors in the GaAs process is presented in this paper. Considering high order parasites, the model is established by comprising an improved skin effect branch and a substrate lateral coupling branch. The parameter extraction is based on an improved characteristic function approach and vector fitting method. The model has better simulation than the previous work over the measured data of 2.5r and 4.5r on-chip inductors in the GaAs process.

On the Unipolar Generator: An Experimental and Theoretical Study

When studying the phenomenon of the induced electromotive force, which originates from Faraday’s unipolar inductor, the contrast between Faraday’s view of the magnetic field dynamic lines and the theory of relativity is revealed. In order to remove this contradiction, this phenomenon was studied in depth, theoretically and experimentally, using an experimental setup similar to Faraday’s. Calculations of the induced electromotive force, based on relativity on the one hand and on Faraday’s view on the other were made with the help of measurements of the magnetic field components. Accurate magnetic field measurements are confirmed by analytical calculations. Precise-induced electromotive force measurements confirmed Faraday’s view and contradicted the theory of relativity.

Fabrication of 3D air-core MEMS inductors for very-highfrequency power conversions

We report a fabrication technology for 3D air-core inductors for small footprint and very-high-frequency power conversions.Our process is scalable and highly generic for fabricating inductors with a wide range of geometries and core shapes.We demonstrate spiral,solenoid,and toroidal inductors,a toroidal transformer and inductor with advanced geometries that cannot be produced by wire winding technology.The inductors are embedded in a silicon substrate and consist of through-silicon vias and suspended windings.The inductors fabricated with 20 and 25 turns and 280-350μm heights on 4-16 mm2 footprints have an inductance from 34.2 to 44.6 nH and a quality factor from 10 to 13 at frequencies ranging from 30 to 72 MHz.The air-core inductors show threefold lower parasitic capacitance and up to a 140% higher-quality factor and a 230% higher-operation frequency than silicon-core inductors.A 33 MHz boost converter mounted with an air-core toroidal inductor achieves an efficiency of 68.2%,which is better than converters mounted with a Si-core inductor(64.1%).Our inductors show good thermal cycling stability,and they are mechanically stable after vibration and 2-m-drop tests.

Scalable modeling and comparison for spiral inductors using enhanced 1-π and 2-π topologies

Two different scalable models developed based on enhanced 1-πand 2-πtopologies are presented for onchip spiral inductor modeling.All elements used in the two topologies for accurately predicting the characteristics of spiral inductors at radio frequencies are constructed in geometry-dependent equations for scalable modeling.Then a comparison between the 1-πand 2-πscalable models is made from the following aspects：the complexity of equivalent circuit models and parameter-extraction procedures,scalable rules and the accuracy of scalable models.The two scalable models are further verified by the excellent match between the measured and simulated results on extracted parameters up to self-resonant frequency（SRF） for a set of spiral inductors with different L,R and N,which are fabricated by employing 0.18-μm 1P6M RF CMOS technology.