Accurate EM-Based Modeling of Cascode FETs

Abstract

Cascode field-effect transistors (FETs) are widely used in the design of monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs), owing to their almost unilateral and broadband behavior. However, since a dedicated model of the cell is rarely provided by foundries, a suboptimal description built by replicating the standard foundry model for both the common source and common gate device is often adopted. This might limit the success of the MMIC design at the first foundry run. This paper describes an electromagnetic-based empirical model of cascode cells, covering topics from the formulation and identification procedures to the corresponding validation described in an exhaustive experimental section. A MMIC low-noise distributed amplifier case is then presented and the proposed model is used for circuit analysis and instability detection. Clear indication is provided about the improvement in the prediction of critical behaviors with respect to conventional modeling approaches. A cascode cell with a symmetric layout is also successfully modeled.