M.P.J. Tiggelman

On the Trade-Off Between Quality Factor and Tuning Ratio in Tunable High-Frequency Capacitors

A benchmark of tunable and switchable devices at microwave frequencies is presented on the basis of physical limitations to show their potential for reconfigurable cellular applications. Performance limitations are outlined for each given technology focusing on the quality factor (Q) and tuning ratio (eta) as figures of merit. The state of the art in terms of these figures of merit of several tunable and switchable technologies is visualized and discussed. If the performance of these criteria is not met, the application will not be feasible. The quality factor can typically be traded off for tuning ratio. The benchmark of tunable capacitor technologies shows that transistor-switched capacitors, varactor diodes, and ferroelectric varactors perform well at 2 GHz for tuning ratios below 3, with an advantage for GaAs varactor diodes. Planar microelectromechanical capacitive switches have the potential to outperform all other technologies at tuning ratios higher than 8. Capacitors based on tunable dielectrics have the highest miniaturization potential, whereas semiconductor devices benefit from the existing manufacturing infrastructure.

Ferroelectric Thin-Film Capacitors and Piezoelectric Switches for Mobile Communication Applications

Thin-film ferroelectric capacitors have been integrated with resistors and active functions such as ESD protection into small, miniaturized modules, which enable a board space saving of up to 80%. With the optimum materials and processes, integrated capacitors with capacitance densities of up to 100 nF/mm2 for stacked capacitors combined with breakdown voltages of 90 V have been achieved. The integration of these high-density capacitors with extremely high breakdown voltage is a major accomplishment in the world of passive components and has not yet been reported for any other passive integration technology. Furthermore, thin-film tunable capacitors based on barium strontium titanate with high tuning range and high quality factor at 1 GHz have been demonstrated. Finally, piezoelectric thin films for piezoelectric switches with high switching speed have been realized.

Fast RF-CV Characterization Through High-Speed 1-port S-Parameter Measurements

We present a novel method to measure the capacitance-voltage relation of an electronic device. The approach is accurate, very fast, and cost-effective compared to the existing off-the-shelf solutions. Capacitances are determined using a single-frequency 1-port S-parameter setup constructed from discrete components. We introduce a new way to correct for non-linearities of the used components, which greatly increases the accuracy with which the phase and magnitude of the reflected signal is measured. The measurement technique is validated on an RF-MEMS capacitive switch and a BST tunable capacitor. Complete capacitance-voltage curves are measured in less than a millisecond, with a measurement accuracy well below 1%.

Fast RF-CV characterization through high-speed 1-port S-parameter measurements

We present a fast radio frequency-capacitance-voltage (RF-CV) method to measure the CV relation of an electronic device. The approach is more accurate, much faster, and more cost effective compared to the existing off-the-shelf solutions. Capacitances are determined using a single-frequency 1-port S-parameter setup constructed from discrete components. We introduce a new way to correct for nonlinearities of the used components, which greatly increases the accuracy with which the phase and magnitude of the reflected signal is measured. The measurement technique is validated on an RF microelectromechanical systems capacitive switch and a barium-strontium-titanate tunable capacitor. Complete CV curves are measured in less than a millisecond, with a measurement accuracy well below 1%.

C-V test structures for metal gate CMOS

Gate leakage has complicated the layout and measurement of C-V test structures. In this paper the impact of metal gate introduction to C-V test structure design is discussed. The metal gate allows for wider-gate structures and for the application of n/sup +/-/sup p-/ diffusion edges. We show, both theoretically and with experimental data, the impact of both design modifications on C-V measurement results.