An RF Amplifier Integrated With a Monitoring Sensor and a Terminal Power Sensor

Abstract

This work proposes a radio frequency (RF) amplifier that integrates a monitoring sensor and a terminal power sensor. It is fabricated in a 0.18-µm RF complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology. The monitoring sensor placed 2.25 µm away from the mosfet detects the dissipated heat of the RF amplifier and monitors its operational status. The terminal power sensor serves as the load that enables in-line output power measurement. The monitoring sensor and terminal power sensor comprise 22 and 24 sets of thermocouples, respectively, which are made of aluminum and p-type polysilicon. The RF amplifier exhibits a minimum input return loss of −9.11 dB at 3.04 GHz. The peak gain at 3.5 GHz is 9.38 dB, which is determined from the analysis of the output voltage of the terminal power sensor. The output voltage of the monitoring sensor changes from 0.986 to 0.957 mV as the input power varies from −12 to 0 dBm. In relation to conventional state detection methods, this approach eliminates the need for external test equipment.