A D-band frequency doubler MMIC based on a 100-nm metamorphic HEMT technology

A coplanar single-ended frequency doubler based on a 100 nm metamorphic HEMT technology is presented. For an input power of 4.8 dBm, this doubler demonstrates an output power between 2.6 and -0.3 dBm over the bandwidth from 105 to 145 GHz, that is, a 3-dB bandwidth of 32% has been achieved. To the knowledge of the authors, this is the first reported multiplier based on MHEMT technology at D-band or higher frequencies.     

A minaturized broad-band MMIC frequency doubler

A miniaturized broadband balanced MMIC (monolithic microwave integrated circuit) frequency double, composed of a common-gate FET and a common-source FET directly connected to each drain electrode, has been proposed and demonstrated. The doubler is designed and fabricated as a miniaturized function module using a conventional two-gate FET configuration, active trapping, and active impedance matching. The doubler design has been performed through phase error estimation, gate width optimization, and gate-source voltage optimization. The phase error estimation in a nonlinear condition has eliminated phase error compensation circuits. The fabricated chip size is only 0.5 mm×0.5 mm, which is about 1/10 the area of previously reported doublers. A conversion loss of 8-10 dB, a fundamental frequency suppression better than 17 dB, and an input return loss better than 8 dB are obtained in the output frequency range from 6 to 16 GHz. The broadband doubler as a miniaturized MMIC function module can be applicable to small-size oscillator MMICs and multifunction MMICs     

80 GHz MMIC HEMT VCO

In this letter a monolithic voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) operating in the 77.5-83.5 GHz range is presented. InP HEMTs are used for both the active device and varactor. The VCO demonstrated a tuning range of 6 GHz and an output power better than 12.5 dBm in the entire tuning range     

An ultra-wideband MMIC balanced frequency doubler usingline-unified HEMTs

A very small, ultrawideband, MMIC balanced frequency doubler that uses line-unified HEMT configurations is proposed. A chip size of 1.0 mm×0.9 mm is achieved with a conversion loss of 8-10 dB in the 4-40-GHz output harmonics frequency range and fundamental frequency signal isolation of better than 21 dB above the input fundamental frequency of 7 GHz. Circuit parameters are optimized in a novel and simple prediction using an equation derived from the HEMT's DC characteristic and a linear-state CAD software package. The doubler has promise for realizing miniaturized, wideband MMIC transmitters/receivers     

具有HEMT和MMIC的Ku波段低噪声放大器

本文介绍了由HEMT和MMIC组成的一种新颖的Ku波段低噪声放大器,放大器第一级采用了HEMT和反馈技术以同时获得噪声和增益的最佳化,讨论了这种放大器的设计,MMIC采用了二次混合微波集成,放大嚣输入和输出端均为BJ-120波导。在11.7—12.2GHz频率下,放大器噪声系数小于1.9dB,增益大于27±0.25dB,输入和输出驻波比小于1.4。     

60-GHz pseudomorphic-MODFET low-noise MMIC amplifiers

The development of V-band low-noise monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) based on pseudomorphic modulation-doped FETs (P-MODFETs) is presented. These dual-stage MMICs incorporate P-MODFETs, with 0.35-μm×60-μm gates, as the active elements, electron-beam-written tuning elements, and DC-blocking and bias networks. The dual-stage chips exhibited a maximum gain of 10.2 dB at 59.5 GHz and a minimum noise figure of 5.3 dB, with an associated gain of 8.2 dB at 58.2 GHz. A cascaded four-stage amplifier using two MMIC modules exhibited 5.8-dB minimum noise figure with an associated gain of 18.3 dB at 58 GHz and up to 21.1 dB of maximum gain     

DC-110-GHz MMIC traveling-wave switch

This paper presents the broadest band monolithic-microwave integrated-circuit traveling-wave switch ever reported for millimeter-wave applications. The developed switch with the novel structure of a 400-μm-gate finger field-effect transistor (FET) indicated an insertion loss of less than 2.55 dB and an isolation of better than 22.2 dB from dc to 110 GHz. Also, the switch indicated no degradation of insertion loss and an ON/OFF ratio of more than 22.7 dB up to an input power of 26.5 dBm at 40 GHz. Circuit analytical results based on a lossy transmission-line model for small-signal performance and circuit simulation results using the two-terminal nonlinear FET model for large-signal operation successfully showed good agreement with the experimental results     

毫米波GaN基HEMT功率MMIC

基于标准的SiC衬底AlGaN/GaN高电子迁移率晶体管(HEMT)工艺研制了毫米波段单片微波集成电路(MMIC)芯片.首先采用插入隔离层的方式得到复合沟道AlxGa1-xN/AlN/AlyGa1-yN/GaN HEMT结构.以EEHEMT模型作为粗糙模型,采用神经空间路线图的方法建立了人工神经网络模型,更好地表征了器件特性,提高了模型在毫米波下的精度.基于器件模型,进行了毫米波MMIC的设计,运用网络综合设计出简洁的电路拓扑和最优的宽带性能.芯片工艺采用0.2 μm介质栅场板结构提高器件的微波性能.研制的2级功率MMIC在27～ 30 GHz频段,工作电压25 V时,输出功率大于2.6W,功率附加效率大于15％,功率增益大于9 dB.     

Wideband HEMT MMIC low-noise amplifier with temperaturecompensation

A wideband low-noise pseudomorphic HEMT MMIC variable-gain amplifier has been designed and fabricated. The amplifier has a nominal gain of 13 dB across the band 2-20 GHz, with gain flatness better than ±0.4 dB. The noise figure is less than 3 dB across the band 6-16 GHz. An on-chip temperature-sensing diode is used to provide a linear temperature correction which has been used to reduce the gain variation of the amplifier by a factor of 2 across the temperature range -50°C to +95°C     

Noise parameters for design of MMIC HEMT LNA

The letter gives the noise parameters of MOVPE HEMTs or the design of MMIC HEMT low-noise amplifiers. An example of the design of an HEMT LNA is given using these parameters. The MMIC LNA has been fabricated and exhibits a 2.3+or-0.2 dB noise figure with an associated gain of 12+or-2 dB in the 12-16 GHz frequency range. The measured performance is within 0.5 dB of the simulation.<>     

100-GHz high-gain InP MMIC cascode amplifier

A high-gain InP monolithic millimeter-wave integrated circuit (MMIC) cascode amplifier has been developed which has 8.0 dB of average gain from 75 to 100 GHz when biased for maximum bandwidth, and more than 12 dB of gain at 80 GHz at the maximum-gain bias point, representing the highest gains reported to date, obtained from MMICs at W band (75-100 GHz). Lattice-matched InGaAs-InAlAs high-electron-mobility-transistors (HEMTs) with 0.1-μm gates were the active devices. A coplanar waveguide (CPW) was the transmission medium for this MMIC with an overall chip dimension of 600×500 μm     

A 30-GHz 1-W power HEMT

Millimeter-wave power high electron mobility transistors (HEMT's) employing a multiple-channel structure have been fabricated and evaluated in the R-band frequency range. An output power of 1.0 W (a saturated output power of 1.2 W) with 3.1-dB gain and 15.6-percent efficiency was achieved at 30 GHz with a 0.5-µm gate-length and 2.4-mm gate-periphery device. At 35 GHz, a 2.4-mm device delivered 0.8 W with 2.0-dB gain and 10.7-percent efficiency. These are the highest output power figures reported to date for single-chip power FET's in the 30-GHz frequency range.     

32-GHz cryogenically cooled HEMT low-noise amplifiers

The cryogenic noise temperature performances of a two-stage and a three-stage 32-GHz HEMT (high-electron-mobility transistor) amplifier were evaluated. The amplifiers utilize quarter-micrometer conventional AlGaAs/GaAs HEMT devices, hybrid matching input and output microstrip circuits, and a cryogenically stable DC biasing network. The noise temperature measurements were performed in the frequency range of 31 to 33 GHz over a physical temperature range of 300 to 12 K. Across the measurement band, the amplifiers displayed a broadband response, and the noise temperature was observed to decrease by a factor of ten in cooling from 300 to 15 K. The lowest noise temperature measured for the two-stage amplifier at 32 GHz was 35 K with an associated gain of 16.5 dB, while for the three-stage amplifier it was 39 K with an associated gain of 26 dB. It was further observed that both amplifiers were insensitive to light     

Pseudomorphic HEMT manufacturing technology for multifunctionalKa-band MMIC applications

We have demonstrated very good performance, high yield Ka-band multifunctional MMIC results using our recently developed 0.25-μm gate length pseudomorphic HEMT (PHEMT) manufacturing technology. Four types of MMIC transceiver components-low noise amplifiers, power amplifiers, mixers, and voltage controlled oscillators-were processed on the same PHEMT wafer, and all were fabricated using a common gate recess process. High performance and high producibility for all four MMIC components was achieved through the optimization of the device epitaxial structure, a process with wide margins for critical process steps and circuit designs that allow for anticipated process variations, resulting in significant performance margins. We obtained excellent results for the Ka-band power amplifier: greater than 26 dBm output power at center frequency with 4.0% standard deviation over the 3-in. wafer, 2-GHz bandwidth, greater than 20 pet-cent power-added efficiency, over 8 dB associated gain, and over 10 dB linear gain. The best performance for the Ka-band LNA was over 17 dB gain and 3.5 dB noise figure at Ka-band. In this paper, we report our device, process, and circuit approach to achieve the state-of-the-art performance and producibility of our MMIC chips     

MBE growth of pseudomorphic HEMT structures for MMIC applications

The development of the GaAs metal semiconductor field effect transistor (MESFET) in the 1960s allowed integrated circuits operating at microwave frequencies to be fabricated. GaAs foundries can now produce customer circuit designs operating up to 20 GHz, using an implanted MESFET process. The push to higher operating frequencies, higher gains and lower noise figures has led to the development of the high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) and the pseudomorphic HEMT. This paper describes how molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) has been used to produce material for pseudomorphic HEMT circuits and how the epitaxial process influences device yield and device performance.     

GaN HEMT工艺的X波段发射前端多功能MMIC

采用0.25 μm GaN HEMT 工艺,研制了一款X 波段发射前端多功能MMIC,片上集成了一个单刀双掷(SPDT)开关和一个功率放大器电路。其中SPDT 开关采用对称的两路双器件并联结构,功率放大器采用三级放大拓扑结构设计,电路采用电抗匹配方式兼顾输出功率和效率。测试结果表明,在8～12 GHz 频带内,芯片发射通道饱和输出功率为38.6～40.2 dBm,功率附加效率为29%～34.5%,其中开关插入损耗约为0.8 dB,隔离度优于-45dB。该芯片面积为4 mm×2.1 mm。     

A broadband PHEMT MMIC distributed doubler using high-pass drain line topology

A broadband frequency doubler, based on distributed amplifier techniques, has been designed to operate from 11 to 21 GHz. In order to reject the fundamental signal over a broadband frequency range, the conventional low-pass drain line structure was replaced with the high-pass structure. This topology can suppress fundamental signals over broadband without any balanced structure so that the chip size can be more compact. Measured conversion losses of better than 10 dB from 11 to 21 GHz input frequencies are achieved with fundamental signal rejection better than 12 dB. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of distributed doubler using the high-pass drain line topology.     

Design and Performance of a 45-GHz HEMT Mixer

A 45-GHz single-ended HEMT mixer has been developed with unity gain and 7-8-dB SSB noise figure over a 2-GHz bandwidth, including an IF amplifier, and 2-dBm output intermodulation intercept. This paper describes its design, structure, and performance. High performance has been achieved by careful attention to the design of the input and output embedding networks. This is the first reported HEMT mixer and the first active mixer above 30 GHz.