Advantages of utilizing through-silicon-vias in SiGe HBT RF low-noise amplifier design

The benefits of using through-silicon-vias (TSVs) in silicon-germanium (SiGe) heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) over the conventional wire bonding have been investigated for the first time. The parasitics associated with wire bonding can be significantly minimized with TSVs, thereby reducing the LNA performance degradation at the packaging level. To verify simulations and theoretical analysis, a prototype K-band TSV-integrated LNA was implemented in a SiGe HBT platform. The parasitic inductance of TSVs was effectively utilized as an adjustable matching element for the optimum LNA performance. The proposed LNA exhibits minimal degradation compared to the (unpackaged) LNA with probe-supplied ground. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 55:2703–2706, 2015