RFIC Design Resources

Hey! This is a long list, but don’t get overwhelmed. The goal here is just to share all the resources we’ve found useful over time (more than a decade of learning, struggling, and figuring things out!).

Topic	Title	Author	Comment
Semiconductor Physics	Electrons and Holes in Semiconductors with Applications to Transistor Electronics	William Shockley	A book by the inventor of the BJT himself. A must-read for those who enjoy classics.
	Semiconductor Research Leading to the Point Contact Transistor	John Bardeen	The Nobel lecture by John Bardeen, co-inventor of the transistor, offers a clear and historically insightful explanation of semiconductor theory.
	Fundamentals of Microelectronics	Behzad Razavi	What I grew up reading. Arugably the best author.
	Semiconductor Physics And Devices: Basic Principles	Donald A. Neamen	Graduate level textbook, recommended for those interested in details.
Circuit Design	Design Of Analog CMOS Integrated Circuit	Behzad Razavi	What I grew up reading, and what you need to ace interviews.
	RF Microelectronics	Behzad Razavi	What Every RFIC designer must read.
	The Design of CMOS Radio-Frequency Integrated Circuits	Thomas H. Lee	Have you met him? Why don't you? You will be pleased you did. He has great sense of humor, and his book is a great reference for RFIC designers.
	Design of CMOS Phase-Locked Loops: From Circuit Level to Architecture Level	Behzad Razavi	A very pragmatic intro to synthesizer design. If you are a TX/RX designer and trying to break into synth, read this.
	Analog: Inexact Science, Vibrant Art	Ali Hajimiri	Awesome teacher. You must have seen his video lectures. No? You should.
	Analog Circuit Design Lectures	Ali Hajimiri	You watch, and you decide. We loved it.
	Advanced ICs for Communications	Ali M. Niknejad	What textbooks won't teach you. A must-read for RFIC designers.
	Advanced Analog Integrated Circuits	Ali M. Niknejad	Seriously. Stop scrolling. Read it.
	IEEE Solid-State Circuits Magazine	IEEE	Crisp articles by famous authors. Most articles don't have a IEEE paywall like Razavi's "Analog Mind". Just google and you would find a link.
	CMOS VLSI Design: A Circuits and Systems Perspective	Neil Weste, David Harris	Great reference if you are analog/RFIC designer who wants to learn about digital IC design.
	Digital Integrated Circuits: A Design Perspective	Rabaey	Another great reference if you are analog/RFIC designer but want to take a peek into the world of digital IC design.
System Design	Microwave Engineering	David M. Pozar	What made me fall in love with high frequency circuit design during undergrad. Rigorous but insightful.
System Design	Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits and Systems	Hooman Darabi	Very insightful. Written by industry expert. Gives you exposure of how systems and circuit blocks are designed. You will love it.
Misc	Chip War	Chris Miller	History of chip design with captivating storytelling. Buy it and thank us later.
Misc	The SPICE Book	Andrei Vladimirescu	Classic book on simulation of circuits and convergence advice.