CMOS distributed amplifiers: an integrated solution for broadband optical and wireless communication applications

This article reviews the use of CMOS distributed amplifiers for broadband optical and wireless communication applications. CMOS distributed amplifiers are justified as a low-cost and highly integrated solution for broad amplifications. As a critical component of DAs, the design and modeling of on-chip inductors are studied. As a design example, a novel four-stage CMOS distributed amplifier for SONET OC-768 optical communication applications is presented. The design is based on a new methodology for the design of CMOS distributed amplifiers to achieve the largest possible bandwidth in a specific CMOS technology. The new design employs smaller spiral inductors that not only reduce the chip area significantly but also increase the bandwidth of the amplifier. A bandwidth of 29 GHz is achieved using a four-stage DA in 0.18 μm standard CMOS technology.