Coupling Mechanisms and Effects Between On-Chip Antenna and Inductor or Coplanar Waveguide

A major concern with on-chip antennas is the risk of crosstalk with on-chip circuits. To determine the mechanisms and effects of coupling to minimize such crosstalk, the testing structures in a 0.18-μm CMOS technology are evaluated from 1 to 110 GHz. Electromagnetic and substrate couplings are found to be significant. Their relative importance is examined for the on-chip monopole antenna and for the spiral inductor or the coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission line and is shown to depend upon the frequency of operation and on the distance of separation. It is shown that the coupling effects take strong influence to the performance of the on-chip antenna but weak impact on the performance of the on-chip inductor and the CPW line.