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A Robust 130 nm-CMOS Built-In Current Sensor Dedicated to RF Applications

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Abstract

In this paper we present a design methodology that allows a dramatic reduction of the dependency on process variation, yielding to a new version of this BICS. Taking advantage of a 130 nm VLSI CMOS technology, the proposed BICS has a peak-to-peak dispersion lower than 10% of its output full-scale range. It makes it more suitable to implement the test functionality while maintaining the initial BICS intrinsic performances. The built-in self-test methodology is illustrated by monitoring the supply current of Low-Noise Amplifiers (LNAs). Measurements confirm the BICS’s transparency relative to the circuit-under-test (CUT) and its accuracy.

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Acknowledgment

The authors thank STMicroelectronics, Centrale R&D, Crolles, France, for technical supports and wafer fabrication.

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Correspondence to M. Cimino.

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Responsible Editor: M. Lubaszewski

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Cimino, M., Lapuyade, H., De Matos, M. et al. A Robust 130 nm-CMOS Built-In Current Sensor Dedicated to RF Applications. J Electron Test 23, 593–603 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10836-007-5025-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10836-007-5025-3

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