Performance-reliability trade-offs in short range RF power amplifier design

Abstract

In this work, trade-offs between performance and reliability in CMOS RF power amplifiers at the design stage are studied. The impact of transistor sizing, amplifier class and on-chip matching network design are explored for a 130 nm technology and the implications of design decisions in transistor gate oxide reliability are discussed and projected. A strong trade-off is observed between efficiency and reliability, mainly for different on-chip output matching architectures. A comparison between two example designs is performed via SPICE simulations that include reliability models and the effects of aging on the stress conditions of each amplifier.