Unified accurate CAD models for RF, microwave and millimeter-wave integrated circuits

Abstract

Unified CAD-oriented circuit model is proposed and developed for accurate representation of a variety of planar integrated circuits (ICs). It is realized by implementing a so-called short-open (SOC) procedure that uniquely calibrates (de-embeds) the results obtained from a full-wave method of moments (MoM) with two calibration standards: short and open elements. Stemming from the concept of TRL calibration in microwave measurements, this SOC is used to evaluate and to remove unwanted numerical error terms. These error terms mainly come from the approximation of excitation mechanisms in the deterministic 3-D MoM and inconsistently between the 2-D and 3-D MoM-based simulations of uniform line sections. Following a description of our modeling technique related to the SOC and 3-D MoM, different classes of planar structures are characterized in terms of their CAD circuit models that involve all physical effects, such as frequency dispersion, high-order mode effects and unbounded radiation losses. The circuit models developed are very useful not only in gaining physical insight into the electrical behavior of planar structures and also in implementing efficient circuit network-oriented design/optimization approaches. The SOC-extracted circuit parameters are presented for a microstrip interdigital capacitor (IDC) and finite-ground CPW gap structures, which are also well verified by our measurements.