J. Braunstein

Design and characterization of high performance 60 GHz pseudomorphic MODFET LNAs in CPW-technology based on accurate S-parameter and noise models

An accurate database for active and passive MMIC components valid up to millimeter-wave frequencies has been established. The CAE models for the transistors and the passive CPW-components; which include the coplanar T-junction, are derived from on-wafer S-parameter measurements up to 63 GHz. For noise modeling of the MODFETs up to millimeter-wave frequencies, an approach based on the temperature noise model reported by M.W. Pospiezalski (1989) has been used. The parameter T/sub d/, which is required for the temperature model, is extracted from on-wafer noise parameter measurements up to 18 GHz. Using this database, the authors have designed and fabricated low-noise V-band two-stage amplifiers, using pseudomorphic MODFETs on a GaAs substrate, which have a performance of 10.5-dB gain and 5.2-dB noise figure at 58.5 GHz. Very good agreement between simulated and measured MMIC gain and noise performance is achieved up to V-band. >

Coplanar millimeter-wave ICs for W-band applications using 0.15 /spl mu/m pseudomorphic MODFETs

A small signal S-parameter and noise model for the cascode MODFET has been validated up to 120 GHz, allowing predictable monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) design up to W-band. The potential of coplanar waveguide technology to build compact, high performance system modules is demonstrated by means of passive and active MMIC components. The realized passive structures comprise a Wilkinson combiner/divider and a capacitively loaded ultra miniature branch line coupler. For both building blocks, very good agreement between the measured and modeled data is achieved up to 120 GHz. Based on the accurate design database, two versions of compact integrated amplifiers utilizing cascode devices for application in the 90-120 GHz frequency range were designed and fabricated. The MMICs have 26.3 dB and 20 dB gain at 91 GHz and 110 GHz, respectively. A noise figure of 6.4 dB was measured at 110 GHz. The 90-100 GHz amplifier was integrated with an MMIC tunable oscillator resulting in a W-band source delivering more than 6 dBm output power from 94 to 98 GHz.

Design data for millimeter wave coplanar circuits

Theoretical and experimental data for the characterization and design of coplanar lines for millimeter wave ICs is presented for the substrates gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium phosphide (InP) and quartz. The theoretical data is based on the simplified model of Heinrich [1]. The experimental data was obtained by on-wafer S-parameter measurements up to 60 GHz on coplanar lines of different dimensions, and subsequent modeling and data extraction. Excellent agreement has been observed between theory and experiment.

Direct Extraction of All Four Transistor Noise Parameters from a Single Noise Figure Measurement

A measurement and analysis technique has been developed that allows for, after s-parameter measurements, direct extraction of all four transistor noise parameters from a single noise figure measurement. A simple 50 ¿ noise source measurement system can thus be used for noise parameter extraction, simplifying considerably the measurement of noise parameters and so enablitg fully automated high frequency testing and wafer mappintg measurement systems to provide both s-parameters and noise parameters.

110 GHz amplifiers based on compact coplanar W-band receiver technology

The potential of coplanar waveguide technology to build compact system modules is demonstrated by means of passive and active MMIC components. The realized passive structures comprise a Wilkinson combiner/divider and a capacitively loaded ultra miniature branch line coupler. Very good agreement between the measured and modelled data is achieved up to 120 GHz. A cascode MODFET small signal model working up to above 100 GHz has been developed for predictable MMIC design. Based on an accurate design database, a compact integrated amplifier utilizing cascode circuitry for application in the 100-120 GHz frequency band has been fabricated showing a measured maximum gain of 20 dB at 110 GHz. The gain is comparable to the result of a 2-stage amplifier fabricated using 0.1 /spl mu/m gate PHEMTs, while the chip size is reduced by more than 50%.

On-wafer single contact S-parameter measurements to 75 GHz: Calibration procedure and measurement system

A measurement system based on coaxial wafer probes has been developed that allows, for the first time, on-wafer measurement of s-parameters over the full frequency range from 45 MHz to 75 GHz (microwave to millimeter wave) with a single probe contact. In addition, it was found that the non-ideal behavior of the on-wafer calibration standards had a significant influence on the measured accuracy at millimeter wave frequencies. The accuracy of the on-wafer s-parameter measurements to 75 GHz, obtained in this measurement system, was improved by the development of a calibration enhancement procedure. This calibration enhancement procedure allows the non-ideal behavior of the on-wafer calibration standards to be accounted for directly in the (HP8510) Network Analyzer 12 term two-port error correction model.

Active probes for network analysis within 70-230 GHz

This paper presents a vector network analyzer system for the 70-230-GHz bandwidth. The instrument employs active probes for millimeter-wave signal generation and detection, and for signal delivery to the device-under-test. Milimeter-wave signals are generated and detected within the active probes using an integrated circuit (IC) based on nonlinear transmission lines. The IC contains all elements of an S-parameter test set: a multiplier to generate the radio-frequency signal, directional couplers to separate the incident and reflected waves, and a pair of high-speed sampling circuits to convert the signals down to lower frequencies. Two-port measurements over the 70-230-GHz bandwidth are demonstrated, including those of directional couplers and millimeter-wave high electron-mobility transistors.

High performance MMICs in coplanar waveguide technology for commercial V-band and W-band applications

We have designed and fabricated a family of coplanar MMICs based on a 0.16 /spl mu/m gate length pseudomorphic MODFET technology which cover the 63-64 GHz and 76-77 GHz frequency bands allocated for automotive applications in Europe. The realized circuits comprise a 3-stage low noise amplifier (LNA) with 21 dB gain and 6.2 dB noise figure at 77 GHz, a 2-stage medium power amplifier (MPA) with 28 mW saturated output power at 77 GHz and more than 9.5 dB gain from 70 to 80 GHz, a FET mixer working from 63 to 78 GHz with a conversion loss of 2.5 dB and a noise figure of 14 dB at 64 GHz, and an oscillator with 8 mW output power at 75 GHz.<<ETX>>

Very broad band TWAs to 80 GHz on GaAs substrate

Traveling Wave Amplifiers were fabricated successfully with a gain of 9.3 dB + 0.6 dB in the frequency range from 5 GHz to 80 GHz measured on-wafer. The associated input and output matching are better than ¿10 dB up to 70 GHz. To our knowledge this is a new performance record, not only for GaAs based circuits but also for InP based MMICs. Each TWA stage comprises a cascode pair of transistors with 0.16 ¿m gate length. For the first time Cascode transistors in CPW-technology were used for a TWA achieving a gain bandwidth product of 744 GHz*dB.

High performance narrow and wide bandwidth amplifiers in CPW-technology up to W-band

Several millimeter-wave MMICs were fabricated successfully using 0.16 /spl mu/m pseudomorphic MODFET technology. A five-stage distributed amplifier has 9.3 dB gain over the frequency range 5 GHz to 80 GHz and a noise figure less than 4.3 dB up to 60 GHz. A narrowband three-stage low noise amplifier delivers more than 21 dB gain between 70 and 80 GHz. For the first time Cascode transistors in CPW-technology were used for a distributed amplifier achieving a gain bandwidth product of 744 GHz*dB.<<ETX>>