Parasitic modeling and noise mitigation in advanced RF/mixed-signal silicon germanium processes

The potential for highly integrated radio frequency (RF) and mixed-signal (AMS) designs is today very real with the availability cost-effective scaled silicon-germanium (SiGe) process technologies. However, the lack of effective parasitic modeling and noise mitigation significantly restrict opportunities for integration, due to a lack of computer-aided design solutions and practical guidance for designers. This tutorial paper provides a broad in-depth coverage of the key technical areas that designers need to understand in estimating and mitigating IC parasitic effects. A detailed analysis of the parasitic effects in passive devices, the interconnect (including transmission line modeling) and substrate impedance, and isolation estimation is presented-referencing a large number of key publications in these areas.