FinFET for mmWave - Technology and Circuit Design Challenges

As next-generation communication systems continue to push to higher operating frequencies, one thing that has grown more uncertain is the technology node which is most suitable for implementing these systems. FinFET CMOS is a viable candidate, offering high-density and low-leakage digital transistors. However, the millimeter-wave (mmWave) capabilities of these devices remain relatively unknown by many. In this paper, we assess the mmWave performance of a FinFET process and discuss the key challenges to mmWave design in deeply-scaled technologies along with design techniques and insight to overcome such challenges. We also demonstrate the suitability of modern FinFET devices for the design of energy-efficient mmWave systems as demonstrated by a 75GHz LNA and PA implemented in Intel's 22FFL process which achieve state-of-art performance.