Integrated silicon RF front-end solutions for mobile communications

Silicon technologies have continued to usurp other exotic technologies, such as GaAs and Silicon-on-Sapphire (SOS), from the RF wireless communication system to provide a more cost-effective integration path. The integration of RF front-end (RFFE) electronics is a good example of this trend. RFFE components such as, transmit-receive switch, antenna tuners, low-noise amplifiers, and power amplifiers, are being integrated wherever possible. In this paper we discuss the high-resistivity silicon-on-insulator (HR-SOI) technology as a cost effective solution for the RFFE integration in a wireless mobile communication system.