Wires — Lesson 4

This lesson covers the in-depth understanding wires. It explains the concept of skin depth and skin effect, the effective inductance per unit length of a wire, and the impact of wire geometry on inductance and capacitance. The lesson also discusses the concept of distributed systems, where inductance, resistance, and capacitance are distributed all over the wire. It further explores the wave equation and its solutions, leading to the understanding of forward and backward moving waves. The lesson concludes with the concept of wave attenuation due to loss.

Video Highlights

00:24 - Introduction and recap of previous lesson
12:38 - Wire capacitance
26:37 - Distributed system with inductance, resistance, and capacitance
34:27 - Explanation of how the wave equation can be used to analyze a distributed system
48:11 - Impact of resistance and conductance per unit length on the propagation of an electromagnetic wave over a wire

Key Takeaways

- Wires in CMOS RF integrated circuits have inductance, resistance, and capacitance per unit length.
- The geometry of the wire, including its cross-section and length, impacts its inductance and capacitance.
- Wires can be considered as distributed systems, with inductance, resistance, and capacitance distributed all over the wire.
- The wave equation provides a mathematical model for the behavior of waves in these circuits.
- The solution to the wave equation leads to the understanding of forward and backward moving waves.
- Wave attenuation occurs due to loss, which is influenced by the resistance and conductance per unit length.