An enhanced compact waffle MOSFET for RF integrated circuits

Several layout methods have been proposed to increase the compactness of a MOSFET. Among the methods, the waffle layout has been mentioned most in the literature. Nevertheless, it has not been commonly used since its inception. This is simply due to the deficiencies associated with the traditional waffle layout in submicron CMOS technology. In this paper, an enhanced compact and expandable waffle MOSFET for RF circuits is designed and tested. Compared with the multifinger design, the area-efficient waffle MOSFET gives better performance of about 20% higher cut-off frequencies and 2 dB higher RF amplification gain with its compact layout structure.