An RF LC Q-enhanced CMOS iter using integrated inductors with layout optimization

Abstract

The advancement of CMOS technology led to the integration of more complex functions in a single chip. In the particular of wireless transceivers, integrated LC tanks are becoming popular both for VCOs and integrated lters. The design of a 2nd order CMOS 0.13 m Q-enhanced integrated LC lter for a frequency of 2.44 GHz is presented. The intent of this lter is to create a circuit for integrated wireless receiver and minimize the requirement for o -chip passive lter components, reducing the overall component count and size of wireless devices and systems. For RF applications the main challenge is still the design of integrated inductors with the maximum quality factor. For that purpose, tapered, i.e, variable width inductors have been introduced in the literature. In this work, a characterization of variable width integrated inductors is proposed. This inductor model is then integrated into an optimization procedure where inductors with a quality factor improvement are obtained.