K-band low-noise amplifier with stacked-diode ESD protection in nanoscale CMOS technology

Abstract

An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection design by using stacked diodes and silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR) as power clamp is presented to protect a K-band low-noise-amplifier in nanoscale CMOS process. Experimental results show that the proposed design can achieve higher ESD robustness without degrading the radio-frequency (RF) performance. Based on its good performances during ESD stress and RF circuit operating conditions, the proposed design is very suitable for RF ESD protection.