This paper describes the analysis and design of saturated silicon-germanium (SiGe) heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) switches for millimeter-wave applications. A switch optimization procedure is developed based on detailed theoretical analysis and is then used to design multiple switch variants. The switches utilize IBM's 90-nm 9HP technology, which features SiGe HBTs with peak of 300/350 GHz. Using a reverse-saturated configuration, a single-pole double-throw switch with a measured insertion loss of 1.05 dB and isolation of 22 dB is achieved at 94 GHz after de-embedding pad losses. The switch draws 5.2 mA from a 1.1-V supply, limiting power consumption to less than 6 mW. The switching speed is analyzed and the simulated turn-on and turn-off times are found to be less than 200 ps. A technique is also introduced to significantly increase the power-handling capabilities of saturated SiGe switches up to an input-referred 1-dB compression point of 22 dBm. Finally, the impact of RF stress on this novel configuration is investigated and initial measurements over a 48-h period show little performance degradation. These results demonstrate that SiGe-based switches may provide significant benefits to millimeter-wave systems.Index Terms-Millimeter wave, 94 GHz, reverse saturation, saturation, silicon-germanium (SiGe) heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT), single-pole double throw (SPDT), switch, transformer.

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A 1 V supply voltage, 10-22 GHz wideband low-power low noise amplifier (LNA) is implemented in a 0.13 SiGe BiCMOS technology, targeting portable single-chip remote sensing radar application. This LNA exhibits a measured gain of 15.5 dB at 16 GHz and a 3 dB bandwidth of 12 GHz, while dissipating only 4 mA from a 1 V supply, with intentionally biasing the HBTs in weak saturation. The LNA has a measured noise figure (NF) of 3.4 dB at 16 GHz and less than 4.4 dB across the operating bandwidth of 10 to 22 GHz. In addition, the LNA design offers a reduced bandwidth operational mode of 10-16 GHz for interference reduction, bringing the power consumption further down to only 3 mW.Index Terms-K-band, Ku-band, low noise amplifier, low power, low voltage, SiGe BiCMOS, weak saturation, wideband.

This paper presents a front-end switch that integrates the ability to provide both loop-back testing and transmit-receive operation. In addition, power detectors are integrated with capacitive couplers to sense the power levels at the transmitter output and the receiver input. The measured results show the power detectors have constant responsivity and can predict the power level within 0.5 dB. These capabilities are added to the front-end switch while maintaining an insertion loss of 2.3-2.5 dB and an isolation of 19.5 dB at 94 GHz.

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