[book] CMOS RF and mm-Wave Transceivers and Synthesizers

CMOS RF and mm-Wave Transceivers and Synthesizers

(1st ed. 2025)

By Bharatha Kumar Thangarasu, Nagarajan Mahalingam, 

Kaixue Ma, Kiat Seng Yeo

Jenny Stanford Publishing

DOI 10.1201/9781003673569

Abstract: Power consumption has become a critical concern in RF/mm-wave integrated circuit (IC) design thanks to new applications from 5G, mobile computing, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things. However, big challenges lie ahead for chip designers when they choose to develop ICs using silicon technology for low-power and high-data-rate applications. This is because silicon technology suffers from undesirable energy dissipation due to its lossy substrate and high resistive wiring loss at GHz frequencies. Nonetheless, silicon remains the most suitable material, satisfying the demands of a rapidly growing semiconductor market through low fabrication cost and ease of achieving system-on-chip or system-in-package integration. While long being neglected, low-power RF/mm-wave design has vaulted to the forefront of attention in recent years due to the demand for ultra-low-power transceivers to achieve sustainability. Designing genuinely ubiquitous transceivers for these new applications requires innovations in both system architecture and circuit implementation.

This book closes the gap between a typical textbook with theories that are difficult to understand and a design-oriented book that offers little insight into actual theories. It evaluates and discusses different circuit topologies, receiver and transmitter architectures, phase-locked loop performance metrics, phase noise analysis, and sub-system-level designs that have yet to be reported in other books.

Table of Contents

• Chapter 1: CMOS RF Active and Passive Devices (pp. 1–49)
• Chapter 2: Transceiver Building Blocks (pp. 50–126)
• Chapter 3: Receiver Sub-System (pp. 127–193)
• Chapter 4: Transmitter Sub-System (pp. 194–238)
• Chapter 5: Transceiver System Integration (pp. 239–347)
• Chapter 6: CMOS RF/mm-Wave Oscillators (pp. 348–401)
• Chapter 7: CMOS Frequency Synthesizers (pp. 402–482)

[open source hardware] selected examples

 SemiCoLab - Multi-project platform on ASIC

SemiCoLab is an educational project that seeks to democratize the complete integrated circuit design process. It allows students, teachers, and enthusiasts to design digital logic with open-source tools and fabricate it on a multiproject wafer, sharing costs and accelerating hands-on learning.

VSDSquadron Mini - RISC-V Development Kit

The VSDSquadron Mini, a versatile powerhouse within the RISC-V landscape that elevates your development to new heights. Whether you’re a newcomer delving into the realm of embedded systems or an experienced developer crafting an intricate device, the VSDSquadron Mini is your ideal companion. It seamlessly bridges the gap between theory and practical application, offering an on-board flash programmer with single-wire programming protocol to jumpstart your projects in education and development with proficiency and ease.

Watchy - A fully open source & customizable E-Ink watch

Watchy is an E-Ink watch with open source hardware and software. It has a barebones design utilizing the PCB as the watch body, allowing it to be worn as-is, or further customized with different 3D printed cases and watch straps. It is a unique timepiece that is also a wearable development platform, allowing users to create their own experience.

[paper] Open Source EDA Tools in ASICs

Édney M. V. Freitas, Nicolas Guimarães, Rafael Maria, Felipe Costa, 

Guilherme Milani, Bruno Sanchesand, Wilhelmus Van Noije

Using Open Source EDA Tools in ASICs for HEP: A Mixed Comparison

arXiv:2512.06122v1 [hep-ex] 5 Dec 2025

1. Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract: This work compares open-source electronic design automation tools with a commercial environment using three representative integrated circuit blocks in the IHP 130nm open PDK: a common-mode noise filter, a finite-state machine, and a voltage-controlled oscillator. The study reports design effort and quality of results for digital logic, including area, power, and timing closure, and examines analog layout feasibility. For the finite-state machine at 50 MHz, the open-source flow reached 0.029 mm2 (post-layout) and 4.37 mW (estimated) with 828 standard cells, whereas the commercial flow achieved 0.019 mm2 and 2.00 mW with 497 cells, corresponding to increases of 53% in area and 118% in power. The common-mode noise filter totals 1.879 mm2 with 1703 flipflops at 50 MHz. The voltage-controlled oscillator occupies 0.0025 mm2 and achieves a simulated maximum oscillation frequency of 2.65 GHz. The contribution is a side-by-side quantification of quality of results across digital and analog blocks in the IHP open PDK. The results indicate that open-source tools are viable for early prototyping, training, and collaboration, while commercial flows retain advantages in automation and quality of results when strict targets on power and area or precision analog layout are required.

FIG: Digital layouts under identical constraints. Layer colors are tool specific.

Acknowledgments: This work was financed, in part, by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), Brazil, Grants #2024/04802-9 and #2024/06703-8, by CNPQ Grant #134869/2024-9. This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Brazil - Finance Code 001.

Fwd: EUROSOI-ULIS 2026: Call for papers

On behalf of the Organizing Committee, it is our great pleasure to announce the 12th Joint EuroSOI Workshop and International Conference on Ultimate Integration on Silicon (EuroSOI-ULIS 2026), which will take place from May 20 to 22, 2026, in Granada, Spain.

This conference aims to bring together scientists and engineers in an interactive forum to discuss SOI technology and advanced microelectronic devices. A key objective is to foster collaboration and partnerships among academia, research institutions, and industry stakeholders in the field.

We warmly invite students and researchers from both academic and industrial backgrounds to submit their abstracts and join us in Granada. The conference offers an excellent opportunity to engage with colleagues, share knowledge, and experience the charm of this marvelous city.

We are also pleased to announce that the "IRDS & ISRDS workshop" will take place as a satellite event on 18–19 May at the same venue. This event will be an opportunity to dive into the heart of semiconductor innovation — to explore emerging directions in computing, and in materials and devices for computing — with expert-led sessions. Participation will be free of charge.

Abstract submission link: https://easychair.org/conferences?conf=eurosoiulis2026
Template: https://wpd.ugr.es/~eurosoiulis2026/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EUROSOI-ULIS2026_Abstract_Template.docx

Important dates
- Abstract submission deadline: February 15, 2026
- Notification of acceptance: March 31, 2026
- Registration opening: March 1, 2026
- Early Bird Registration Deadline: April 20, 2026

Venue
The conference and the satellite workshop will be held in the Assembly Hall of the Facultad de Medicina of the Universidad de Granada (UGR). The Faculty of Medicine is located in the modern Parque Tecnológico de Ciencias de la Salud (PTS), a state-of-the-art campus that combines modern infrastructure with a comfortable, accessible environment, ideal for a scientific meeting like ours.

Selected papers will be published as 4-page letters in a Special Issue of Solid-State Electronics (Elsevier).

Two awards have been organized already:
- The "Androula Nassiopoulou Best Paper Award" attributed by the SINANO Institute.
- A best poster award attributed by Solid-State Electronics journal (Elsevier).

In addition to the technical program, we aim to offer an enriching cultural and historical experience for all attendees.

For more details, please see the attached call for papers or visit the conference website at:
https://eurosoiulis2026.ugr.es/

Future updates will also be posted on the website.

Best regards,
EuroSOI-ULIS 2026 Local Organizing Committee
eurosoiulis2026@ugr.es
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[paper] Single Event Upset in FINFET SRAM

SUN Qian¹²,, GUO Yang¹²*,, LIANG Bin¹², CHI Yaqing¹², TAO Ming³, LUO Deng¹², CHEN Jianjun¹², SUN Hanhan2, HU Chunmei¹2, FANG Yahao¹2, GAO Yulin¹2, XIAO Jing³

Process fluctuation influence on single event upset in sub-20 nm FinFET SRAM

中图分类号:TN405 文献标志码:A 文章编号:1001 - 2486 (2025)06 – 264 - 10 

1. College of Computer Science and Technology, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, China;
2. Key Laboratory of Advanced Microprocessor Chips and Systems, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, China;
3. College of Electrical and Information Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China

Abstract: To investigate the process fluctuation influence on SRAM (static random-access memory) single event upset in sub-20nm FinFET (fin field-effect transistor) process, a high precision 3D TCAD model based on commercial process fluctuations was established, then simulated to find the FinFET SRAM single event upset threshold under different process corners. The simulation results show that the FinFET SRAM upset threshold has less variation induced by process corner fluctuation. Then, to understand the impact of specific process parameter fluctuations on the single event upset threshold, the process fluctuation factor impact on single event upset was discussed, including fin width, fin height, the oxide thickness and the work function fluctuation. The simulation results show that the first two factors did not affect the upset threshold, while the latter two factors caused slight fluctuations in the upset threshold. Significant reduction in the impact of process fluctuations on FinFET SRAM single event upset threshold is firstly found, which is of great significance for the development of highly consistent radiation hardened aerospace integrated circuits.  

Fig: Electron density snapshot when heavy-ion hit point A with 7 MeV · cm²/mg