Accuracy assessment of the BSIM3v3 MOSFET compact model for large signal RF applications

The design of RF systems requires accurate models to describe both small signal and large signal RF analog behaviour of transistors. So far, compact models have received little attention with respect to modeling the large signal RF characteristics of silicon MOSFETs, despite their ability to predict device behaviour for different geometries, bias conditions and temperatures. However, circuit designers can benefit substantially from the scalability of compact models, not only by using their capabilities to design circuits at present, but also to predict the performance of RF systems made in next generation technologies. Therefore, the accuracy of compact models needs to be assessed. In this paper we validate the accuracy of the BSIM3v3 compact model for RF applications. We show that the BSIM3v3 model, with additional gate resistance, proves to meet the requirements of an accurate RF large signal model.