The input match of RF front-end circuitry can degrade significantly due to process faults and parasitic package inductances at its input pad. The proposed technique ascertains the input match frequency of the circuit by using a built-in self-test (BiST) structure, determines the frequency interval by which it needs to be shifted to restore it to the desired value, and then feeds back a digital word to the low-noise amplifier (LNA), which adaptively corrects its input-match in real-time. The circuitry presented in the paper offers the advantages of low power overheads (the circuits can be powered off when not in use), robustness, no requirements of digital signal processing cores or processors, and fast calibration times (less than 30 s). This proof of concept is demonstrated by designing a cascode LNA and the complete self-calibration circuit in IBM 0.25-m CMOS RF process.Index Terms-Built-in self-test (BiST) for RF circuits, design for fault tolerance, reliability of RF circuits, RF circuit design.

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This paper presents a sub‐1 V CMOS bandgap voltage reference that accounts for the presence of direct tunneling‐induced gate current. This current increases exponentially with decreasing oxide thickness and is especially prevalent in traditional (non‐high‐κ/metal gate) ultra‐thin oxide CMOS technologies (tox < 3 nm), where it invalidates the simplifying design assumption of infinite gate resistance. The developed reference (average temperature coefficient, TC_AVG, of 22.5 ppm/°C) overcomes direct tunneling by employing circuit techniques that minimize, balance, and cancel its effects. It is compared to a thick‐oxide voltage reference (TC_AVG = 14.0 ppm/°C) as a means of demonstrating that ultra‐thin oxide MOSFETs can achieve performance similar to that of more expensive thick(er) oxide MOSFETs and that they can be used to design the analog component of a mixed‐signal system. The reference was investigated in a 65 nm CMOS technology with a nominal VDD of 1 V and a physical oxide thickness of 1.25 nm. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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