A K-band MMIC low noise amplifier in GaN-on-Si 100-nm technology for MIMO radar receivers

Abstract

A K-band low noise amplifier (LNA) with low and flat noise figure (NF) is proposed in this letter. The LNA is designed as the first stage of an RF receiver in a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) multiple-in multiple-out (MIMO) radar system for marine vessel monitoring and airspace unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) monitoring. The multi-antenna structure at the receiving end of the MIMO radar implies higher sensitivity. The LNA is fabricated using a 100-nm GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) process with a chip area of 2.2 mm 2 . By analyzing the noise equivalent circuit model of a GaN-on-Si HEMT and optimizing the matching network, the proposed LNA achieves a measured average gain of 17.2 dB, an NF of 2.0-2.3 dB over the frequency range from 18 to 22.5 GHz. With a power sweep measurement, this LNA achieves an P1dB of 10.5 dBm and an OIP3 of 19 dBm at 20 GHz. The DC consumption is 220 mW under 5 V power supply.

A Highly Integrated C-Band Feedback Resistor Transceiver Front-End Based on Inductive Resonance and Bandwidth Expansion Techniques

“…The second stage is no longer added before point C for inductor compensation due to the characteristics of its cascade structure to suppress the Miller effect, and the high-frequency bandwidth is compensated by matching the access to series and parallel inductors at the output. While analyzing from the point of view of noise, both the real and imaginary parts of optimal noise matching are inversely proportional to C gs1 , and the addition of the compensation capacitor also makes the optimal noise impedance decrease but does not deteriorate the minimum noise figure [27]. According to the noise cascade equation in [28], it can be seen that the noise of the first stage has the most significant impact on the LNA.…”

An MMIC LNA for Millimeter-Wave Radar and 5G Applications with GaN-on-SiC Technology

“…In Figure 1 , four hybrid-MNs are employed to fulfill the requirement of appropriate matching for broadband and low NF [ 1 , 4 , 26 ]. In order to minimize the introduction of noise, the design strategy for the input matching network (IMN) proposes the use of few lumped components [ 35 ].…”

“…To mitigate these challenges, careful selection of high-impedance stages at both ends of the MMIC LNA can be employed. By strategically choosing these stages, the value of the quality factor Q IS can be controlled effectively, which in turn helps to suppress the loss of performance caused by high-order harmonics and parasitic capacitance [ 26 ]. This approach enables designers to optimize the performance of the LNA by minimizing the negative impact of these unwanted effects.…”

“…A plethora of existing literature has documented the development of LNAs exhibiting satisfactory performance across various technologies [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ]. As for the CMOS process, scholars of City University of Hong Kong [ 20 ] have presented an MMIC LNA which achieves a peak gain of 10.2 dB with a minimum NF of 3.3 dB and bandwidth ranging from 15.8 GHz to 30.3 GHz.…”

“…Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology [ 25 ] has presented a 35–37 GHz Ka-band MMIC LNA with a typical NF of 3.7 dB and a small signal gain of above 19.7 dB employing GaN-on-SiC HEMT. A K-band MMIC LNA [ 26 ] in GaN-on-Si technology has realized a measured average gain of 17.2 dB and an NF of 2.0–2.3 dB. These advancements pave the way for further research and innovation, enabling the design and implementation of LNAs tailored to specific application requirements and operating conditions.…”