Abstract
The continuous demand for higher data rates pushes the wireless communication systems to operate at mm-wave frequencies. The realization of efficient front-end modules at these frequencies is challenging not only because of the large frequency and bandwidth, but also to maintain the power consumption to an acceptable level. Together with the development of efficient circuit architectures, technological innovations are required to enable 5G and 6G radios. The high-power handling capabilities of RF GaN technology as opposed to CMOS become very attractive as the number of PAs required to drive antennas can be reduced, and more energy-efficient systems and smaller form factors can be enabled.
In this presentation, the transistors requirements and figures-of-merit for such applications will be introduced. The strengths of compound semiconductor technologies will be highlighted. Finally, the importance of accurate characterization and modelling will be explained. The link between technology, transistors optimization and circuit design will be introduced.
About the speaker
Bertrand Parvais received the Electrical Engineering and Ph.D. degrees from the Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, in 2000 and 2004, respectively. He joined then imec, Leuven, Belgium, as a device engineer, working on the characterization and modelling of transistors in advanced CMOS technologies for analog and RF applications. In 2009, he joined the circuit group of imec, and he was involved in the design of mixed-mode and millimeter-wave CMOS circuits. Since 2016, he has been leading the Design-Enabled Technology Exploration (DETEX) imec team, focussing on transistor compact model and DTCO. In parallel, he joined the Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB) in 2017 as guest professor, teaching nano-electronic devices. His current research focusses on the exploration of technological solutions for digital, analog and RF circuits.