Modeling and design of novel passive MMIC components with three and more conductor levels

Novel passive MMIC components with 3, 4 or more conductor levels have been investigated. They are described by a simulation approach which is a generalization and improvement of previous approaches for 1 and 2 metal levels. Simulated S-parameters agree well with measurements for spiral inductors using 4 conductor levels. The design of MMIC broadband transformers with small space consumption and coverage of 2-3 octaves (5 to 22 GHz and 0.6 to 4.2 GHz, respectively) is discussed. Also, a compact broadband balun for 10-40 GHz operation is given as an example.<
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