SE5 things all RFIC designers should know (But are afraid to ask)

The scaling of CMOS technology has enabled the proliferation of single-chip wireless systems-on-a-chip (SoCs) that integrates RF, analog, and digital circuits to form complete system solutions. Most high-volume wireless systems, ranging from cellular phones to wireless local area networks are based on single-chip solutions. Much of the attention at conferences, such as ISSCC, has been focused on the design of wireless SoCs. However, bringing a wireless SoC to market requires significant technical knowledge beyond IC design. The objective of this evening session is to provide an introduction on topics that are typically not well understood by RF IC designers, in part, because they are not sufficiently emphasized in most college curricula, yet are critically important to the successful productization of wireless systems.