A 3.5 mW 2.5 GHz diversity receiver and a 1.2 mW 3.6 GHz VCO in silicon-on-anything

In this paper, first results of radio-frequency (RF) circuits processed in a novel silicon bipolar technology called silicon on anything (SOA) are presented. This technology was developed with the application of low-power, high-frequency circuits in mind. Three test ICs are discussed: a fully integrated 3.6-GHz voltage-controlled oscillator, a fully integrated 2.5-GHz diversity receiver front end, and an intermediate-frequency IC containing channel selectivity and demodulation circuits. Measurement results show that using this technology, significant power savings are possible for RF circuits.