CMNHFRF · Convergence of microelectronics, nanotechnology and high frequency rf engineering

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Project objective

Passive systems such as inductors, capacitors and transformers, integrated on-chip, are essential building blocks of all analogue RFICs and their performance at current and future CMOS processes is a major bottleneck to successful system integration at the single-chip level radios at high frequencies. Further, this bottleneck prevents a larger-scale integration of more complicated analogue stages essential for wireless communication chips, most notably of filters, which currently remain off-chip. Part of the problem relates to physical properties of standard CMOS processes, i.e., metal and substrate losses and couplings. Another part is the inadequacy of lumped-element design rules for correctly accounting for fully electromagnetic physical effects at high frequencies.Finally, absence of multi-disciplinary research linking the above physical and RF design problems to a synthesis cycle of CMOS-compatible material processes with optimised high-frequency material properties, possibly including composite electromagnetic materials and photonic crystals. This proposal will contribute to remedying these deficiencies in a technologically relevant way, by: First, using novel material Si processes, such as porous Si patterned with high-K or alumina dielectrics, to analyse and optimise the full-wave electromagnetic design of on-chip high-Q passives. It will then use these optimised cells to derive a comprehensive design methodology for on-chip pass-band filters, including accurate broadband circuit models, where the remaining technology process loss will be mapped to the appropriate circuit sub-topologies. Lastly, these losses will be cancelled by the insertion of appropriately optimised FET interconnections of minimum noise figure, to complete a realistic on-chip filter design cycle directly implementable to the semiconductor industry.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

• NATIONAL CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH DEMOKRITOS",INSTITUTE OF MICROELECTRONICS" · AGHIA PARASKEVI - ATHENSCoordinatorCity levelGreece

Links

• View on CORDIS