A 17.5–26 GHz Low-Noise Amplifier With Over 8 kV ESD Protection in 65 nm CMOS

Abstract

By the electrostatic discharge (ESD)/matching co-design methodology, a wideband low-noise amplifier (LNA) using a grounded spiral inductor in conjunction with a MOM capacitor for ESD protection and wideband matching is demonstrated in a 65 nm CMOS. The shunt inductor provides an effective bidirectional ESD protection to the ground and the series capacitor greatly enhances the breakdown level in the current discharge path. The measurement results demonstrate an over 8 kV human-body-model ESD protection level with almost no RF characteristic degradation after ESD zapping. Under a power consumption of 5.6 mW, the ESD-protected LNA presents a flat <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">NF</i> and power gain of 3.3-3.9 dB and 16.6-17.9 dB, respectively, in the frequency range of 18.5-24.5 GHz, and a 3 dB bandwidth of 17.5-26 GHz is achieved.