John J. Berenz

High-performance in W-band monolithic pseudomorphic InGaAs HEMT LNA's and design/analysis methodology

High-performance W-band monolithic one- and two-stage low noise amplifiers (LNAs) based on pseudomorphic InGaAs-GaAs HEMT devices have been developed. The one-stage amplifier has a measured noise figure of 5.1 dB with an associated gain of 7 dB from 92 to 95 GHz, and the two-stage amplifier has a measured small signal gain of 13.3 dB at 94 GHz and 17 dB at 89 GHz with a noise figure of 5.5 dB from 91 to 95 GHz. An eight-stage LNA built by cascading four of these monolithic two-stage LNA chips demonstrates 49 dB gain and 6.5 dB noise figure at 94 GHz. A rigorous analysis procedure was incorporated in the design, including accurate active device modeling and full-wave EM analysis of passive structures. The first pass success of these LNA chip designs indicates the importance of a rigorous design/analysis methodology in millimeter-wave monolithic IC development. >

A 140-GHz monolithic low noise amplifier

This paper presents the development of a 140-GHz monolithic low noise amplifier (LNA) using 0.1-/spl mu/m pseudomorphic InAlAs-InGaAs-InP low noise HEMT technology. A two-stage single-ended 140-GHz monolithic LNA has been designed, fabricated and tested. It exhibits a measured small signal gain of 9 dB at 142 GHz, and more than 5-dB gain from 138-145 GHz. This is the highest frequency monolithic amplifier ever reported using three terminal devices. >

A W-band monolithic downconverter

The design, fabrication, and evaluation of a fully integrated W-band monolithic downconverter based on InGaAs pseudomorphic HEMT technology are presented. The monolithic downconverter consists of a two-stage low-noise amplifier and a single-balanced mixer. The single-balanced mixer has been designed using the HEMT gate Schottky diodes inherent to the process. Measured results of the complete downconverter show conversion gain of 5.5 dB and a double-sideband noise figure of 6.7 dB at 94 GHz. Also presented is the downconverter performance characterized over the -35 degrees C to +65 degrees C temperature range. The downconverter design was a first pass success and has a high circuit yield. >

A 0.1-W W-band pseudomorphic HEMT MMIC power amplifier

The authors have designed and fabricated monolithic power amplifiers using pseudomorphic InGaAs power HEMTs (high-electron-mobility transistors) with record power and gain performance at W-band frequency. The two-stage amplifier has a small-signal gain of 9 dB and can deliver 0.1-W output power with 5.9-dB associated gain and 6.6% power-added efficiency at 93.5 GHz. The successful first pass design of the W-band MMIC (monolithic microwave integrated circuit) power amplifier is due to the superior device performance and the millimeter-wave monolithic power amplifier design techniques.<<ETX>>

A high performance and low DC power V-band MMIC LNA using 0.1 mu m InGaAs/InAlAs/InP HEMT technology

We report the design and performance of state-of-the-art V-band MMIC LNAs using 0.1- mu m gate length pseudomorphic In/sub 0.60/Ga/sub 0.40/As/In/sub 0.52/Al/sub 0.48/As/InP HEMTs. The three-stage V-band LNA demonstrated an average of 3.0 dB noise figure between 56-64 GHz with 24-25.5 dB associated gain with a noise figure of 2.7 dB measured at 62 GHz. Furthermore, the DC power dissipation of this circuit was only 19.5 mW which is less than one-third the DC power dissipation of InGaAs/AlGaAs/GaAs HEMT versions. These results demonstrate the excellent potential of InP HEMT technology for millimeter-wave and low DC power applications.<<ETX>>

A high-performance monolithic Q-band InP-based HEMT low-noise amplifier

The authors report a Q-band two-stage MMIC low-noise amplifier based on 0.1- mu m pseudomorphic InAlAs-InGaAs-InP HEMT technology. The amplifier has achieved an average noise figure of 2.3 dB with associated gain of 25 dB over the band from 43 to 46 GHz. This noise figure is the best result ever reported for a monolithic amplifier at this frequency range. In addition, this InP-based amplifier consumes only 12 mW, which is at least three times lower than a GaAs-based counterpart, indicating that InP-based pseudomorphic HEMTs are well suited for very high density monolithic integration or an application where ultra-low-power consumption is required.<<ETX>>

An ultra low noise W-band monolithic three-stage amplifier using 0.1- mu m pseudomorphic InGaAs/GaAs HEMT technology

An ultra-low-noise W-band monolithic three-stage amplifier based on 0.1- mu m pseudomorphic InGaAs/GaAs high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) devices has been developed. This amplifier has a measured noise figure of 3.5 dB with an associated small signal gain of 21 dB at 94 GHz. This is the best reported performance of a monolithic W-band high-gain low-noise amplifier (LNA), significantly improved compared with previous records in terms of noise figure and associated gain. Accurate modeling techniques were essential to the success of this monolithic circuit design, which included active device and full-wave electromagnetic analysis of passive matching structures. The measured results of the W-band three-stage monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) LNA from 91 to 97 GHz are presented.<<ETX>>

A monolithic 75-110 GHz balanced InP-based HEMT amplifier

A monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) balanced amplifier covering the entire W-band (75-110 GHz) has been developed using 0.1-mm pseudomorphic InAlAs-InGaAs-InP HEMT technology. This MMIC amplifier demonstrated first pass success with a measured gain of 23+or-3 dB and good return loss from 75 to 110 GHz. The noise figure of this amplifier is about 6 dB around 94 GHz. This is believed to be the best reported broadband and high-gain performance of monolithic amplifiers covering the entire W-band.<<ETX>>

A monolithically integrated 120-GHz InGaAs/InAlAs/InP HEMT amplifier

We report the design and gain performance for a two-stage 120-GHz monolithically integrated amplifier using 0.1-/spl mu/m gate length pseudomorphic In/sub 0.60/Ga/sub 0.40/As/In/sub 0.52/Al/sub 0.48/As/InP HEMTs. The two-stage amplifier demonstrated 10-12 dB gain measured between 119.5 to 123.5 GHz. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a monolithically integrated InP HEMT amplifier reported at D-band.<<ETX>>

W-band MMIC direct detection receiver for passive imaging system

W-band MMIC (monolithic microwave integrated circuit) direct-detection receivers for passive millimeter-wave imaging applications have been demonstrated. These receivers were developed using InGaAs HEMT (high electron mobility transistor)-based W-based LNA (low-noise amplifier) and preamplified detector MMICs. The first receiver uses a 50-dB-gain, 6-dB-noise-figure amplifier and a Schottky-barrier-diode waveguide detector. The amplifier uses four W-band MMIC LNAs. The second receiver consists of two three-stage MMIC LNAs and an MMIC preamplified detector chip. Individual receivers were integrated with a millimeter-wave camera system. Field imaging acquisition runs were performed using the camera in stepping pushbroom image acquisition mode, and excellent results were obtained.<<ETX>>