A high performance W-band monolithic pseudomorphic InGaAs HEMT LNA

Abstract

A high-performance W-band monolithic two-stage LNA (low-noise amplifier) based on pseudomorphic InGaAs/GaAs HEMT (high electron mobility transistor) device has been developed. This amplifier has a measured small signal gain of 13.3 dB at 94 GHz and 17 dB at 89 GHz. The noise figure is 5.5 dB from 91 to 95 GHz. This is the best reported performance of a W-band monolithic LNA. The measured results of this MMIC (monolithic microwave integrated circuit) LNA rival those of some reported hybrid LNAs. 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 this LNA chip design indicates the importance of a rigorous analysis/design methodology in the millimeter-wave monolithic IC development.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>