Silicon-substrate enhancement technique enabling high quality integrated RF passives

A novel method for increasing effective resistivity in low doped silicon substrates is presented. By creating a chain series of PN depletion junctions beneath the insulator, the parasitic surface conduction channel is interrupted, significantly lowering substrate losses, increasing substrate isolation and improving linearity. We demonstrate the integration of high quality CPW transmission lines and spiral inductors on depletion-enhanced silicon achieving performances close to the widely used trap-rich substrate at RF frequencies.