- 1 - 107 - 055865 - mm - Wave Silicon Power Amplifiers and

Advancements in semiconductor technology have led to a steady increase in the unity power gain frequency (fmax) of silicon transistors, both in CMOS and SiGe BiCMOS technologies. This, in turn, enables realization of complex monolithic silicon integrated circuits operating at the millimeter-wave (mm-wave) frequency range (typically defined as 30–300 GHz). Prime target applications of silicon mm-wave integrated systems include high-speed wireless access, satellite communications, high-resolution automotive radars, and imagers for security, industrial control, healthcare, and other applications. However, scaling of silicon transistors for high fmax comes at the expense of reduced breakdown voltages, and hence limitations on output voltage swing and power. The link range and energy consumption of wireless systems are direct functions of the transmitter output power and efficiency, respectively. Efficient generation and amplification of radio-frequency (RF) modulated waveforms using silicon transistors is an ongoing challenge due to the reduced breakdown voltage of scaled silicon transistors, loss of passive components, and the conventional linearity–efficiency trade-off. This book covers the fundamentals, technology options, circuit architectures, and practical demonstrations of mm-wave wireless transmitters realized in silicon technologies.