High-performance edge-suspended spiral inductors and CPWs on CMOS-grade silicon substrates

Abstract

This paper reports high performance edge-suspended passive components realized by CMOS-compatible micromachining. The operation principle is described in detail. Edge-suspended inductors (ESIs) and CPWs (ESCPWs) are fabricated using a combination of deep dry etching and anisotropic wet etching techniques. For a three-turn 4.5-nH inductor, a 70% increase (from 6.8 to 11.7) in maximum Q-factor and a 57% increase (from 9.1 GHz to 14.3 GHz) in self-resonance frequency are obtained with a 11 /spl mu/m suspended edge in 25 /spl mu/m wide lines. A 50 /spl Omega/ CPW exhibits a reduction in insertion loss, from 2.4dB/mm to 0.4dB/mm at 39 GHz.