System Budgeting to System Realisation - A 22nm FDSOI 5G mmWave Front-End Module (FEM) Perspective

A comprehensive top-down system design methodology is presented and supported with a design of a Front-End Module (FEM) for 5G mobile applications targeting 24GHz-29GHz. While adopting package and PCB floor-planning and thermal challenges early in the design, a link budget analysis of a FEM in a system simulator followed by an implementation in GlobalFoundries' 22nm FDSOI process is reported with a focus on novel architectures to address system constraints. The FEM shows an excellent correlation between simulations and measurements and is further characterized post silicon by applying actual 5G signals in a real-time measurement mimicked simulation environment. A unified environment for co-designing and analysing the IC and package system is also described.