Automated design of microwave discrete tuning differential capacitance circuits in Si-integrated technologies.

A genetic algorithm used to design radio-frequency binary-weighted differential switched capacitor arrays (RFDSCAs) is presented in this article. The algorithm provides a set of circuits all having the same maximum performance. This article also describes the design, implementation, and measurements results of a 0.25 μm BiCMOS 3-bit RFDSCA. The experimental results show that the circuit presents the expected performance up to 40 GHz. The similarity between the evolutionary solutions, circuit simulations, and measured results indicates that the genetic synthesis method is a very useful tool for designing optimum performance RFDSCAs. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 629–634, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.25009 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]