Infineon demonstrates world-record SiGe ICs
Infineon says that the measured circuit performances show 10 to 30 percent higher operating frequency compared to competing circuits from other vendors and will enable new application areas in high frequency products and high-speed communications systems.
Devices and products benefiting from these research results in short term will be high-speed discrete components (transistors and diodes), 40 Gbit/s low-power fiber-optic communication systems, high-speed microwave radio links, ultra wide-band communication systems up to 60 GHz, and automotive radar systems at 77 GHz.
Infineon designed several key functional building blocks for high-speed communications, based on its state of the art SiGe:C bipolar technology, which reaches a cut-off frequency of more than 200 GHz and has a demonstrated record ring oscillator gate delay time of 3.7 ps.
Tests of the high performance circuits indicate well-balanced transistor parameters for analog and digital applications and very low noise figures.
Using this process technology, the researchers fabricated and demonstrated three record setting ICs:
* a dynamic frequency divider with a divide ratio of 2 and a measured maximum input frequency of more than 110 GHz. The circuit operates with 5V supply voltage and a current consumption of 62mA.
* a static frequency divider (divide ratio of 32) with a maximum input frequency of 86 GHz. This circuit works with a 5 V supply voltage and consumes only 180 mA.
* a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) operating in the frequency range of 95-98 GHz with a phase noise of only –97 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz carrier offset frequency. The output power is –6 dBm. At 5 V supply voltage the circuit shows a very low current consumption of 12 mA.
Infineon also demonstrated that an integrated 77 GHz automotive radar transceiver in SiGe, based on these building blocks, is now feasible. The results also show that the SiGe bipolar technology is well suited for a wide range of high-speed analog and digital applications like Gigabit/s data communication and broadband wireless applications or microwave products.
"These research results underline Infineon s commitment to be at the leading edge of technology developments, so that high performance devices will be provided for next generation customer products," said Werner Simbuerger of the High-Frequency Circuits Research Department of Infineon Technologies. "The development and fabrication of these 100 GHz+ components enables our customers to design and create a new class of products for high speed communications applications."
Infineon already has several products in mass production using a 70 GHz ft SiGe process, including RF transistors, low-noise amplifiers, and MMICs for mobile radio basestations.
