Sub-Micron CMOS Characterisation for Single Chip Wireless Applications

This paper describes a multifunctional, electronically reconfigurable, small/large signal load pull measurement system and its integrated use with BSIM 3v3 for modelling of sub-micron CMOS transistors and sub-circuits. This turnkey measurement system can be electronically configured from a battery of instruments in order to characterise minimum noise, optimum power, intermodulation, dc and S-parameters, together with harmonic response and dynamic load line information under both source and load pull conditions. The instrumentation provides validation data against the BSIM physical model simulator. Hence, for the first time measurement of all of the significant devices parameters can be made for the device operated under all possible primary modes for model validation so that optimal circuit design can be carried out in a holistic fashion.