A linear 32.8 dbm 2.4 GHz LDMOS power amplifier in 65 nm CMOS

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1 A linear 32.8 dbm 2.4 GHz LDMOS power amplifier in 65 nm CMOS Ted Johansson, Olof Bengtsson, Sara Lo5i, Lars Vestling, Hans Norström, Jörgen Olsson, and Chris=an Nyström

2 Outline Background: WLAN IC technology roadmap PA device design in 65 nm CMOS Testchip Results: DC, RF small- signal, LP, PA, reliability Summary, conclusion

3 WLAN IC technology roadmap Nanoradio AB 1st/2nd genera=on WLAN circuits consisted of several chips: - WiFi BB in digital CMOS - Separate Bluetooth chip - WiFi RF in BiCMOS with SiGe BJT PA Today a single chip solu=on is wanted using advanced CMOS. But: - SiGe is not available - Power MOSFET is needed for PA

4 Challenges of PA design in nm technologies To obtain maximum power into a load: - use high supply voltage technology (foundry technology, with or without process add- ons) circuit solu=on that can handle higher voltage, e.g. cascodes select PA- class with low voltage swing (rela=ve to V dd ) - use power combinajon (use current instaed of voltage) low load, and transforma=on to 50 Ω. differen=al amplifiers (larger devices possible to use with same matching) power combina=on using passive networks, e.g. inductor or transformers Put all "bells and whistle" together to achieve a good PA!

5 Challenges of PA design in nm technologies To obtain maximum power into a load: - use high supply voltage technology (foundry technology, with or without process add- ons) circuit solu=on that can handle higher voltage, e.g. cascodes select PA- class with low voltage swing (rela=ve to V dd ) - use power combinajon (use current instaed of voltage) low load, and transforma=on to 50 Ω. differen=al amplifiers (larger devices possible to use with same matching) power combina=on using passive networks, e.g. inductor or transformers Put all "bells and whistle" together to achieve a good PA!

6 Design of CMOS WLAN- PA Specifications (similar to SiGe HBT/Si BJT from exisjng WLAN products): V DD =3.3 V => BV CBO or BV DSS >6-7 V, up to 10 V for ruggedness R ON around 2 Ωmm I ON > 500 ma/mm f T > 20 GHz f max > 20GHz Digital CMOS in 65 nm has technology that is very hard to use for PAs: Vdd=1-1.5 V Tox= nm Lg=30-50 nm IO- devices with Lg= nm for V opera=on, with thicker gate oxide exist Challenges: - Protect gate oxide from high electric fields - reliability - Design extended drain drih region for op=mum current drive and breakdown voltage

7 Different HV MOSFET architectures in bulk CMOS Ref. Bianchi CICC'09

8 Different HV MOSFET architectures in bulk CMOS Ref. Bianchi CICC'09

9 RF- LDMOS design 65 nm foundry CMOS process (no process changes possible) No extra mask layers (only drawing layers for mask genera=on) => RF- LDMOS (EDMOS) has been developed. Test chip manufactured at foundry.

10 2.5 x 4 mm2

11 DC and RF small- signal results W/L = 200/0.35 (10 fingers*20 um, 1 unit cell) BV DSS > 10 V R ON 2 Ωmm I ON > 600 ma/mm f T =25 GHz f max =30 GHz Specifica=on filled!

12 Load- pull measurements GSG test transistors for load- pull, W=2.8 mm (14 unit cells). S G S S D S P OUT (dbm) P OUT (dbm) AB 30% A* P IN (dbm) Very good performance at both frequency bands and at higher supply voltage. P- 1dB>1W, 50% eff Vdd=3.3 V 2.45 GHz Vdd=5 V 5.8 GHz PIN (dbm 5 ) AB 10% AB 30% A* 15 25

13 PA measurements Target Pout,peak >30 dbm => WLAN modulated dbm signal. Differen=al PA => 4x beper impedance levels. Total transistor width = 5.6 mm (W=2 x 2.8 mm, 2 x 14 unit cells). Reference design: conven=onal cascode with 2 x 3.3 V IO transistors.

14 Direct bonding on PCB

15 Soldered test board

16 PA results

17 Reliability DC stress performed at high electric field and typical quiescent current for class AB. IDQ drih is caused by electron injec=on in the gate oxide resul=ng in increase of threshold voltage Drift in IDQ Vg=1.5 V, Vd=5.4 V 10 years ID (%) -2-3 Less than 2% driu at 10 years (extrapolated) Time (sec)

18 Summary Developed LDMOS transistors meet performance requirement WLAN PA with power- MOSFET possible in 65nm CMOS Solu=ons scalable for PA down to 28 nm for SoC WLAN, pico- basesta=ons, and other RF- ICs. Hans Norström (UU), Klas- Håkan Eklund (Comheat), Lars Vestling (Comheat/UU), Ted Johansson (LiU), Sara Lo5i (UU), Jörgen Olsson (UU) Christian Nyström (Nanoradio)

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20 BACKUP

21 Linear class- AB design Vdrain <= 2 Vdd Alterna=ve A: using conven=onal circuit solu=on that can tolerate 2Vdd at drain, a cascode: PA core, incl. =edown and sub con two- transistor cascode, upper T using twell, capacitor to gnd (CB), gate to Vdd.

22 Linear class- AB design Vdrain <= 2 Vdd Alterna=ve B: using device that can tolerate high Vdd at drain, such as an EDMOS device: PA core, incl. =edown and sub con

23 Full cascode circuit in Cadence, including input/output diff matching. EDMOS similar schema=cs.

24 Test board layout 2- lagers Au- pläterat t=508 um er=4,2 4,0 x 2,9 mm 2

25 Evalua=on

26 Evalua=on

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28 WLAN PA Transistors with 5.6 mm width mounted on PCB and characterized at Nanoradio AB. Differen=al PA, Vdd=3 V, f=2412 MHz P- 1dB = 32,5 dbm (1,8 W). Class AB, efficiency over 50 % for unmodulated signal.

29 Load- pull measurements GSG test transistors for load- pull, W=2.8 mm. Very good performance at both frequency bands and at higher supply voltage. P- 1dB>1W, 50% eff S S G D S S

30 WLAN modulated signal g, f=2412 MHz, 54 Mbps OFDM EDMOS Cascode 2xIO Both EDMOS and Cascode reference pass frequency mask test up to the limits of the used signal source (peak Pout >27 dbm). EVM [%] Cascode EDMOS Pout (peak) [dbm] EVM measurement (linearity) shows less linearity for the EDMOS compared to the Cascode reference. If this comes from device performance, or matching circuit condi=ons, is not fully clear.