Noise in Broad-Band GaAs MESFET Amplifiers with Parallel Feedback

The influence of the circuit elements of a single-ended feedback amplifier module on noise figure and gain, as well as on input and output reflection coefficients is discussed. Theoretical results are supported by tests performed on a five-stage single-ended amplifier. The unit exhibits 41.5+-0.8 dB of small-signal gain and a maximum noise figure of 4.0 dB between 2.4 and 8.0 GHz. Maximum reflection coefficients of 1.7:1 for the input and 1.5:1 for the output terminal were measured. The unit's overall circuit dimensions are 25x3.6 mm.