“The Art of CMOS RF Design & Layout” – Prof. Patrick Reynaert (KU Leuven)

The design of RF integrated circuits in Silicon technologies has for sure matured in the past few years. However, RF designers are still confronted with many challenges: methodology, design flow, understanding of circuit operation, drawing and optimization of the layout, electromagnetics of the RF structures, as well as characterization and measurements. Furthermore, the RF and mm-Wave fields can be approached from an analog viewpoint or from a microwave background. Both are valid but both have their drawbacks.

The RF circuit insights and know-how shared throughout this unique course are based on the extensive knowledge and expertise gained from mm-Wave research work and are highly relevant to design robust and real-life RF products operating both below and beyond 20GHz. We will continuously present alternative circuit implementations for both frequency bands and explain the different approaches, as well as the common challenges, when designing at RF versus designing at mm-Wave.

This course aims to demystify some of the black-magic myth attached to the design of RF circuits in general. It will start with a fresh and intuitive view on RF basics, tackling the fundamentals without getting lost in the math. At high frequencies, layout is almost equally important as circuit topology. Therefore, layout influence and optimization will already be addresses in the second lecture and will be continuously revisited in practically all the lectures. Knowing how to handle the electromagnetics is vital to produce robust circuits, both at RF and mm-Wave frequencies.

The main difference between RF and mm-Wave is the design approach. At mm-Wave frequencies matching networks are common-place. At RF, one typically only uses a tuning-approach. Is matching really needed? Why can we get away with simple tuning at RF? What components are best? Capacitors, inductors, transformers or transmission lines. The answer to these questions heavily depends on the frequency and these aspects are discussed in Lectures 2 and 3.

We continue with a strong focus on RF power amplifier design. After all, a power amplifier is a circuit where the limits and boundaries of circuit design, models and the electromagnetics come together. We will cover various aspects ranging from system-level in Lecture 4 and all the way down to layout and measurements in Lecture 5.

Lectures 6 and 7 will have a deep dive into layout and simulation of various RF and mm-Wave circuits (PAs, VCOs, LNAs, …) discussing many examples in technologies from 65nm down to 16nm, as well as some III/V examples (GaAs and InP).

Finally, as we can learn a lot from mistakes, some examples of non-working chips or faulty measurements will be covered in Lecture 8. The errors range from common-mode oscillations to system-level measurement flaws.

The participants will receive optional homework assignments to encourage them to apply their understanding and experience, thereby further enhancing the learning beyond the lecture material. Some homework assignments may include LTspice or QUCS simulations, whereas others may consist of circuit design calculations.

To follow this course, a background in the basics of analog circuits and RF/microwave engineering is highly recommended. Since the course offers a fresh view and combines insights from analog and mm-Wave, it contains valuable information for both experienced engineers in RF and mm-Wave, as well as young graduates in microelectronics. What is unique about the course is the intuitive approach, the fact that it covers both RF and mm-Wave circuit examples and how it bridges the good practices in both the RF and mm-Wave domains.