ITRS Chapter: RF and A/MS Technologies

Published

January 12, 2012

Author(s)

Herbert S. Bennett, John J. Pekarik

Abstract

Radio frequency and analog/mixed-signal (RF and A/MS) technologies are essential and critical technologies for the rapidly diversifying semiconductor market that comprises many more applications than the wireless and wire-line communications market that was the focus of this chapter in previous years. We describe the requisite technology elements for circuits used in not only wireless and wire-line communications but also new for this year, in low-frequency analog applications such as power management and display drivers. Products containing these circuits to meet market demands on increased functionality at lower cost per function are becoming key drivers of volume manufacturing and increased consumption of semiconductors.. Consumer products now account for over half of the demand for semiconductors.[1] The consumer portions of the above markets are very sensitive to cost. With different technologies capable of meeting technical requirements, time-to-market and overall system cost govern technology selections. The technologies presented herein depend on many materials systems, some of which are compatible with complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) processing, such as SiGe and others of which have not traditionally been compatible with CMOS processing such as those compound semiconductors composed of elements from groups III and V and from other elements in group IV such as carbon in the periodic table. Compound and carbon-based semiconductors become more significant as today’s emerging research devices, especially those devices based on the More than Moore (MtM) technologies that are described elsewhere in the 2011 edition of the ITRS are deployed in the marketplace.

Citation

Future Fab International

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

field effect, bipolar. millimeter-wave, embedded, passive, and active devices, More-than-Moore, heterogeneous integration, compound semiconductors, microelecromechanical systems (MEMS), and complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS).

Citation

Bennett, H. and Pekarik, J. (2012), ITRS Chapter: RF and A/MS Technologies, Future Fab International (Accessed October 10, 2024)