Broadband Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Interconnection Transmission Line Measurements With Generalized Probe Transition Characterization and Verification of Multiline Thru-Reflect-Line Calibration

This paper presents extraction techniques and measurement results for broadband complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) interconnection transmission line (TL) measurements with generalized probe transition characterization and verification of multiline thru-reflect-line (TRL) calibration. Initially, the probe transition is represented by a transmission matrix instead of the conventional shunt/series model, with detailed parameter evaluation procedures using measured data from two lines that are twice in length. Subsequently, an additional long TL that fully exhibits the TL characteristics at low frequencies is characterized, whereas the matrix manipulations with the other two TL measured data are adapted for high-frequency regions to avoid the ill-conditioned problem. Consequently, broadband characterization for CMOS TL is achieved in a cost-effective manner. With an additional reflect test structure, the multiline TRL calibration can be performed as well for verification. The proposed method is examined by thin-film microstrip lines using CMOS 90-nm one-poly/nine-metal technology with measurement frequencies from 2 to 110 GHz.

I. Introduction

On-Chip transmission line (TL) characterization is a basic aspect of IC designs for both device interconnection and as a component of millimeter-wave circuit designs, such as couplers [1] or filters [2]. The propagation effects, including delay, loss, and dispersion of the TLs, play a vital role in determining the maximum operating frequency of high-speed digital circuits. Therefore, on-chip interconnection TL characterization and modeling are essential for current system-on-a-chip or system-in-a-package applications [3].