A COMPARISON OF SILICON AND III–V TECHNOLOGY PERFORMANCE AND BUILDING BLOCK IMPLEMENTATIONS FOR 10 AND 40 Gb/s OPTICAL NETWORKING ICs

Abstract

Scalable models for both active and passive components are essential for the design of highly integrated fiber–optic physical layer ICs. This paper focuses on the various technology options available of 10 Gb/s and 40 Gb/s applications, on how their constituent components are modeled and what the characteristics and requirements are for the basic building blocks. As part of the technology comparison, an overview of the performance of leading edge Si CMOS, SiGe BiCMOS and III–V technologies is presented. Scalable models for SiGe HBTs and GaAs p–HEMTs are then compared with measured data for various device sizes. Inductors, varactors, transmission lines and isolation techniques on Si and III–V substrates are discussed next followed by technology–specific implementations of VCO and digital building blacks. Finally, Transimpedance Limiting Amplifier (TIALA) as well as laser and modulator driver designs in SiGe BiCMOS, InP HBT and GaAs p–HEMT processes using scalable device models are illustrated for 10 and 40 Gb/s fiber-optics applications.

Co-design of a wideband double-balanced active mixer and transformer-based baluns for 77 GHz radar applications

“…The CG of a Gilbert cell can be expressed as reported in Eq. (1). It increases with the improvement of I mixer current and R c .…”

“…To address these two applications, a frequency band of 76 to 81 GHz must be covered. Merging recent improvements in SiGe BiCMOS technologies (transistor with transition frequency beyond 200 GHz [1,2]) and an advanced design methodology (including EM simulations), this paper proposes the design and implementation of a mm-wave mixer suitable for the two scenarios.…”

Low power and high gain double-balanced mixer dedicated to 77 GHz automotive radar applications

“…Hence III-V devices are nowadays challenged by silicon-based technologies, allowing low-cost implementation of millimeter-waves (mmW) systems as radar sensors for the automotive industry [1][2].…”

ESD-Protected 24 GHz LNA for Radar Applications in SiGe:C Technology

“…Not only is the process complexity reduced compared to a Bi-CMOS process, but also excellent high-frequency performance of bipolar transistors can be achieved using relaxed 0.35 μm lithography. Additionally, the silicon bipolar technology has proven to have competitive performance compared to III-V semiconductors [4].…”