2.4-GHz Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor Power Amplifier Using High-Quality Factor Wafer-Level Bondwire Spiral Inductor

A complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) power amplifier (PA) using a wafer-level bondwire spiral inductor with high-quality factor (Q) is presented. The inductor is made by three top metal traces connected with bondwire loops above the CMOS chip. The proposed inductor with 2.75-nH inductance achieves a Q of 18, which is three times as much as that of a conventional CMOS standard spiral inductor at 2.4 GHz. The Q of the inductor is over 15 from 2 to 14 GHz, which can cover the frequency band of wireless sensor network and worldwide interoperability for microwave access applications. The output power and power-added efficiency of the PA with the inductor are improved by 1.5 dBm and 7% as compared with those of the fully integrated CMOS PA, respectively.