Complete Stability Analysis of Multifunction MMIC Circuits

Abstract

This paper describes a systematic methodology for complete stability analysis of nonlinear microwave multifunction circuits. The proposed strategy has two different stages: the stability analysis of a nominal steady-state solution and the use of continuation techniques to efficiently determine the unstable operation ranges. The stability analysis is demanding due to the multiple loops contained in the large multifunction circuit. The first step is to check the possible fulfillment of the oscillation startup conditions at different circuit nodes followed by pole-zero identification. Given the complexity of the circuit topology, a systematic technique is necessary for the selection of the observation nodes. This has been applied at both the lumped-element schematic and the layout levels. These stability analyses have been carried out at small-signal (linear) and large-signal (nonlinear) since the multifunction circuit includes a nonlinear mixer. In the case of instability, the origin of the oscillation and its characteristics are analyzed versus the critical circuit parameters through the application of continuation techniques to the steady-state oscillatory solution. Moreover, sensitivity yield analysis and variations of environmental conditions combined with the stability techniques have also been taken into account and integrated into the design cycle. The proposed systematic approach has been successfully applied to determine and correct an oscillation of a multifunction monolithic-microwave integrated-circuit converter. It has also been proven in other multifunction circuits in the same way.