Physics-based Modelling for Stacked Power Amplifier design at Millimetre-Wave Frequency

Physics-based TCAD simulations are the most accurate modelling approach for mm-wave power amplifier design, allowing extracting reliable device models, retaining the link to process parameters and including parasitic elements. We show, for the first time, the multi-harmonic physical TCAD simulations of a 10 dBm stacked power amplifier at 70 GHz in 22 nm FinFET technology. The stacked architecture is particularly challenging for TCAD analysis as it includes common gate stages acting as active loads. TCAD simulations can be then imported in CAD tools for circuit design through behavioral models, which, thanks to the physics-based approach, can be made dependent on specific technological or physical parameters, e.g. temperature.