HBT modeling and circuit design for low-power mm-wave applications

不仅在移动的设备中，而且在数据服务器中密集封装的处理器阵列中，对带宽（和更高的载波频率）的需求不断增加，这要求相关联的高频前端的功率高效操作。最近的技术发展使得SiGe HBT的晶体管功率增益截止频率（fmax）为500 GHz，InP HBT的截止频率高达1 THz，同时分别保持300 GHz和560 GHz的合理渡越频率值。该项目旨在利用先进HBT技术的高速性，通过使晶体管（部分）处于深度饱和状态，显著降低毫米波电路的功耗。相关工作将包括低功率毫米波电路的设计、制造和测量，重点是在满足其他相关品质因数（如线性度、噪声、增益等）的最低规格的约束下，优化和探索给定工作频率（94 GHz）的最小可能电源电压和功耗。由于对于所提到的先进原型HBT技术，饱和没有被适当地考虑并且被现有紧凑模型覆盖，因此电路设计工作由SiGe和InP HBT的基于物理的几何可缩放紧凑模型开发支持。所开发的模型将使上述电路优化和探索（可能的用途）的特殊物理效应的毫米波电路。

The increasing demand for bandwidth (and higher carrier frequency) not only in mobile devices but also in densely packed processor arrays in data servers requires power efficient operation of the associated high-frequency front-end. Recent technology developments have led to transistor power gain cut-off frequencies (fmax) of 500 GHz for SiGe HBTs and up to 1 THz for InP HBTs, while maintaining reasonable transit frequency values of 300 GHz and 560 GHz, respectively. Such technologies are enabling emerging commercial mm-wave (and even sub-mm-wave) applications in the field of communications and sensing.This project aims at utilizing the high speed of advanced HBT technologies for significantly reducing the power consumption in mm-wave circuits by operating the transistors (partially) in deep saturation. The related work will comprise the design, fabrication and measurement of low-power mm-wave circuits with emphasis on the optimization for and exploration of the minimum possible supply voltage and power dissipation for a given operating frequency (94 GHz) under the constraint of meeting at least minimum specifications for other relevant figures of merit (such as linearity, noise, gain etc.). Since for the mentioned advanced prototyping HBT technologies saturation is not being properly considered and covered by existing compact models, the circuit design work is supported by physics-based geometry scalable compact model development for both SiGe and InP HBTs. The developed model will enable the above mentioned circuit optimization and the exploration (of the possible use) of special physical effects in mm-wave circuits.