Program Summary
Radio Frequency and mixed signal electronics face performance limitations due to the limited circuit complexity possible in typical high-speed/high-dynamic-range compound semiconductor integrated circuit technologies. By integrating these high-performance electronics with deep submicron silicon complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (Si CMOS) technology, designers can exploit the ultra large scale integration density of Si CMOS to combine complex signal processing and self-correction architectures with the highest performance compound semiconductor electronics, thus achieving unprecedented levels of performance (e.g. bandwidth, dynamic range, power consumption).
Specifically, COSMOS has developed three unique approaches to the heterogeneous integration of InP HBTs with deep submicron Si CMOS. Moreover, COSMOS has also developed the necessary design methodologies and concepts to develop world-record performance RF/mixed signal integrated circuits. COSMOS performers have already proven their technology through the demonstration of differential amplifiers with world-record DC gain-unity gain bandwidth, as well as digital-to-analog converters with dynamic range greater than the state-of-the-art by over 15x.
Performer teams working on COSMOS are currently utilizing their advanced heterogeneous integration processes to demonstrate digital-to-analog converters and analog-to-digital converters that surpass the state-of-the-art in bandwidth, dynamic range and power consumption. In addition, a COSMOS InP BiCMOS multi-project wafer (MPW) initiative has been launched and preliminary studies of CMOS + GaN integration undertaken to further mature the COMOS technology and expand heterogeneous integration capabilities towards the overall DAHI program vision.
COSMOS efforts began in May, 2007.
Major teams currently participating in COSMOS are led by the following institutions:
- HRL Laboratories (Malibu, CA)
- Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems (Redondo Beach, CA)
- Raytheon, Inc. (Andover, MA)