Technology Positioning for mm Wave Applications: 130/90nm SiGe BiCMOS vs. 28nm RFCMOS

Over the last few decades, SiGe BiCMOS has survived the continued onslaught of RF-CMOS technologies. SiGe HBT invented in late 1980's and later introduced as a BiCMOS technology served as a sweet spot in the emerging RF market, thanks to the SiGe HBT's higher power and better noise characteristics. It did not take very long for RFCMOS scaling roadmap to catch up to SiGe HBT performance levels and displace it from high-volume market segment like RF cellular transceivers. Now with the advent of 5G millimeter-wave (mmWave) applications demanding higher power and lower noise for the front-end, will SiGe BiCMOS once again come back to the forefront to address this market? In this paper we will take a closer look at some of the key aspects of a 130 / 90nm SiGe BiCMOS relative to a 28nm bulk RFCMOS technology for addressing mmWave front-end as well as potential opportunities that lie ahead with scaling.