ESD protection design for microwave/millimeter wave low-noise amplifiers

Different ESD design topologies suitable for microwave/millimeter wave low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) are reviewed, and the design tradeoffs and limitations of each topology are also discussed. In addition, a V-band LNA using the proposed Pi-type ESD block is demonstrated in 65-nm CMOS. A series ESD inductor together with two shunt ESD diodes and an bonding (probing) pad form a Pi-type network, acting like an ideal wideband 50-ohm transmission line with a loss of only 0.6 dB at 60 GHz. Under a power consumption of 27 mW, the ESD-protected LNA presents a 4.1-dB NF and 18.5-dB power gain at 60 GHz, respectively with a 3-dB bandwidth up to 7.7 GHz. The measured results also demonstrate a 2.5-kV Human-Body-Model (HBM) ESD protection. This LNA shows excellent FoMs compared with recently published results in a similar frequency range.