High-Frequency Circuit Design

The previous chapter has illustrated how both the active and passive components have sub-optimal performance at higher frequencies that only degrades as CMOS nodes are scaling down. Meticulous design techniques are hence necessary to realize high-frequency circuits with maximal performance and efficiency. This chapter therefore discusses the basics of impedance matching, resonators, and matching networks which are crucial in RF circuit design. Then, the two primary building blocks for high-frequency amplifiers above 100 GHz in this book are detailed: the neutralized pseudo-differential pair and transformer-based matching network. Finally, the designs of various amplifier-based circuits are discussed.