advantages of RFICs compared to hybrid printed circuit
advantages of RFICs compared to hybrid printed circuit
• Higher reliability
• Reproducibility
• Higher performance
• Smaller Size
• Lower Cost (particularly packaging and assembly cost)
However, due to the difficulties involved in implementing high performance on-chip passive components, as well as reduced voltage headroom and lower breakdown voltages of active devices, ultimate levels of wireless SOC integration remain a major challenge. On-chip inductors in BiCMOS/CMOS technology typically have Quality (Q) factors ranging from 5 to 30 as compared to several 100s for off-chip inductors. The low Q factor of on-chip inductors remains a bottleneck in the integration of high performance RF sub-circuits such as Power Amplifiers (PAs) in single-chip systems (e.g. in silicon).