ABSTRACT
One of the unique merits of this book lies in its extreme breadth. What begins with materials, must not end with devices, but rather must also span the circuit and system application space. This is particularly so in our field because its success is intimately tied to the uncanny ability of Si-based devices to be integrated, enabling the construction of large systems from many diverse components in a very small space at low cost. This final section provides coverage of this application space; the real world, if you will. In Chapter 4, “SiGe as an Enabler of Wireless Communications Systems,” L. Larson of the University of California at San Diego gives a broad view of the merits of SiGe for emerging wireless communications systems. In Chapter 5, “LNA Optimization Strategies,” by Q. Liang of Georgia Tech, new techniques for improved LNA design are addressed, and Chapter 6, “Linearization Techniques,” by L. de Vreede of the Delft University of Technology, presents a comprehensive view of linearization techniques in devices and circuits. The next three chapters span the RF to millimeter-wave IC space, beginning with Chapter 7, “SiGe MMICs,” by H. Schumacher of the University of Ulm, and then moving up in frequency in Chapter 8, “SiGe Millimeter-Wave ICs,” by J. Luy of DaimlerChrysler, and then down in frequency in Chapter 9, “Wireless Building Blocks Using SiGe HBTs,” by J. Long of the Delft University of Technology. New wireless radio architectures are covered in Chapter 10, “Direct Conversion Architectures for SiGe Radios,” by S. Chakraborty of Georgia Tech. MEMS processing represents an important emerging area in silicon fabrication and applications, and is addressed in Chapter 11, “RF MEMS Techniques in Si/SiGe,” by J. Papapolymerou of Georgia Tech. Future system integration approaches necessarily require robust packaging techniques and even on-board antennae for signal transmission, as addressed in Chapter 12, “Wideband Antennas on Silicon,” by M. Tentzeris of Georgia Tech and Chapter 13, “Packaging Issues for SiGe Circuits,” by K. Lim of Georgia Tech. Finally, in the last three chapters, we take a snapshot of the state-of-the-art in the IC application space. While by definition this view holds only for 2005, a blink of the eye in this dynamic field, it nonetheless provides a nice glimpse of the future, as envisioned by several industry leaders: Chapter 14, “Industry Examples at the State-of-the-Art: IBM,” by D. Friedman of IBM Research; Chapter 15, “Industry Examples at the State-of-the-Art: Hitachi,” by K. Washio of Hitachi, and Chapter 16, “Industry Examples at the State-of-the-Art: ST Microelectronics,” by D. Belot of ST Microlectronics.
