Silicon Millimeter-Wave, Terahertz, and High-Speed Fiber-Optic Device and Benchmark Circuit Scaling Through the 2030 ITRS Horizon

This paper reviews the technology requirements of future 100–300-GHz millimeter-wave (mm-wave) systems-on-chip (SOI) for high data rate wireless and sensor applications, as well as for 100–300-GBaud fiber-optic communication systems. Measurements of state-of-the-art silicon metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs), and of a variety of HBT-HBT and MOS-HBT cascodes are presented from dc to 325 GHz. The challenges facing mm-wave MOSFET and SiGe HBT device and benchmark circuit scaling toward 2–3-nm gate length and beyond 2-THz transistor $f{\mathrm {MAX}}$ are discussed for the first time based on technology computer-aided design (TCAD) and atomistic simulations. Finally, simulations of the scaling of the SiGe HBT analog and mixed-signal mm-wave benchmark circuit performance across future technology nodes predict that PAs with 45% power added efficiency (PAE) at 220 GHz, track and hold amplifiers (THAs) with over 140-GHz bandwidth, and transimpedance amplifiers (TIAs) with 250-GHz bandwidth and less than 5-dB noise figure will become feasible by 2030. Comparison of simulations and measurements for representative benchmark circuits such as TIAs, THAs, linear modulator drivers, digital-to-analog converters (DACs), and power amplifiers (PAs), fabricated in advanced SiGe BiCMOS and nanoscale SOI complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) technologies, and operating at 120 Gb/s and above 100 GHz, respectively, are presented to support the credibility of the benchmark circuit scaling exercise.