Infineon claims world records for SiGe and CMOS ICs
The technology developments combine advanced circuit design and state-of-the-art fabrication process technology to extend the continuing upward shift in the frequency limits of CMOS and SiGe process technology. The advances yield higher speeds, enabling greater integration of functions on single chips and, ultimately, reduced costs for advanced communications systems.
The papers presented at ISSCC, the highly regarded chip technology conference held from February 3-7 in San Francisco, described how Infineon is accelerating the replacement of the GaAs and InP chips now used in very high-speed data communication systems with SiGe chips that are less costly, more highly integrated and have greater bandwidth. The developments in high frequency CMOS IC technology will make smaller, less costly chips manufactured with this process suitable for applications where SiGe chips are currently required.
The papers on high-speed communications presented are summarized below. The first production-level products based on these research results are expected by the beginning of 2003.
25 GHz static frequency divider and 25 Gbit/s multiplexer using 0.12 micron CMOS technology
Frequency dividers are basic key components for frequency synthesis as well as clock and data recovery in high-speed data communication systems. Data multiplexers are used to combine several serial data streams into a single high-speed data stream. In the past, most of these functions were realized using BiCMOS or III-V technology because of the faster speed that could be achieved. However, CMOS solutions are much more economical because of the lower production costs, higher yield and greater chip density that can be achieved. The Infineon researchers set out to design circuits that fully exploited the speed potential of a 0.12 micron standard CMOS process. The results of these attempts are the record-breaking 2:1 static frequency divider s maximum operating frequency of 25 GHz and the 2:1 multiplexer s maximum throughput of 25 Gbit/s. This record benchmark performance opens up new avenues in high-speed CMOS system integration.
Fully-integrated 51 GHz VCO with 1 V and 1 mW using standard CMOS technology
Modern data communication systems operate at throughput of around 40 Gbit/s, and the industry is working to achieve values in excess of 80 Gbit/s. This very high throughput can only be achieved using ICs based on materials such as InP, GaAs and SiGe. To date, low-cost, highly integrated CMOS ICs have been announced for throughput of up to 10 Gb/sec. Researchers at Infineon have now succeeded in producing a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), one of the most critical elements in a data communication system, using Infineon s low-cost 0.12 micron standard CMOS process. This chip has an integrated inductor and operates at the record CMOS frequency of 51 GHz. It also has the world s lowest power consumption of 1 mW with a 1 V supply voltage. These results break new ground in the development of high-throughput system-on-a-chip ICs based on CMOS.
45 GHz SiGe active frequency multiplier
Frequency multipliers handle frequency conversion in communication systems. The 45 GHz of the SiGe active frequency quadrupler developed by Infineon represents the highest frequency ever reported using silicon technology. It is a low-cost, powerful alternative to conventional GaAs and InP frequency quadruplers. The quadrupler has a bandwidth of 3 dB between 24 and 45 GHz, a new record for CMOS, and a maximum gain of +7.3 dB achieved at 44 GHz.
Future application areas for this record-breaking multiplier include wireless broadband services such as the 28 and 38 GHz American local multipoint distribution systems (LMDS), the 42 GHz European microwave video distribution system (MVDS), 40.5 GHz satellite communications and 24 to 45 GHz point-to-point microwave telecommunication systems and radio relay systems.
Reiner Schoenrock
Infineon Technologies AG, Worldwide Headquarters
Munich, Germany
Tel. +49 89 234 29593
US
Leslie Davis
Tel. +1 408 501 6790
Email: leslie.davis@infineon.com
E-mail: reiner.schoenrock@infineon.com
Web site: http://www.infineon.com
