Progress in RF inductors on silicon - understanding substrate losses

Abstract

The recent progress in the integration of inductors on silicon substrates is reviewed first. The substrate losses, which present the main difference to the well-established inductor integration on quasi-ideal GaAs or printed circuit boards, are then investigated through specific experiments to support the inductor optimization and modeling. Metal ground shield structures, that potentially isolate the spiral inductor coil from the lossy silicon, are evaluated as well.