Non-linear characteristics of passive elements on trap-rich high-resistivity Si substrates

RF losses and non-linear behavior of RF passive elements such as coplanar transmission lines and inductors are analyzed. The investigated trap-rich HR-Si wafers with a fixed oxide layer of 150 nm-thick show true effective resistivity values higher than 4 kΩ-cm up to 5 GHz and harmonic distortion levels lower than -90 dBm for a 900 MHz input with signal level of +25 dBm. High quality factor of 60 is measured for a 2 nH inductor on a trap-rich HR-Si substrate at 2.73 GHz frequency of operation. Our investigations confirm the capability of trap-rich HR-SOI wafer for the integration of passive elements for RF systems.