Broadband 400-GHz InGaAs mHEMT Transmitter and Receiver S-MMICs

Abstract

The modeling, design and experimental evaluation of both a 400-GHz transmitter and receiver submillimeter-wave monolithic integrated circuit (S-MMIC) is presented in this paper. These S-MMICs are intended for a radar-based system in the aforementioned operating frequency. The transmitter occupies a total chip area of 750 × 2750 µm 2 . It consists of a multiplier-by-four, generating the fourth-harmonic of the WR-10 input signal, which drives the integrated WR-2.2 power amplifier. The latter has an output-gate width of 128 µm. The receiver S-MMIC, 750 × 2750 µm 2 , consists of a multiplier-by-two, providing the second harmonic of the WR-10 input signal for the local-oscillator port of the subsequent integrated sub-harmonic mixer. The radio-frequency port of the latter, connects via a Lange coupler to a WR-2.2 low-noise amplifier (LNA). All the components included, are processed on a 35-nm InAlAs/InGaAs metamorphic high-electron-mobility transistor integrated-circuit technology, utilizing two-finger transistors and thin-film microstrip lines (TFMSLs). The modeling approach of the amplifier cores and the respective design decisions taken are listed and elaborated-on in this work. Accompanying measurements and simulations of the transmitter and receiver are presented. The individual components of the aforementioned S-MMICs, are characterized and the results are included in the paper. The state-of-the-art, for S-MMIC based circuits operating in the WR-2.2 band, is set by the LNA, on one side, spanning an operational 3-dB bandwidth (BW) of 310 to 475 GHz, with a peak gain of 23 dB and, on the other side, by the final transmitter design, which covers an operating range of 335 to 425 GHz with a peak-output power of 9.0 dBm and accompanying transducer gain of 11 dB. The included transmitterand receiver-designs represent a first-time implementation in the mentioned technological process, utilizing solely TFMSLs, boasting the integration level, operating in the WR-2.2 frequency band, and setting the state of the art-to the authors' best knowledge-for all S-MMIC based solutions in the respective frequency band, in terms of output power and gain over the operating 3-dB BW.

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“…For more information, see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ dc and RF ground, thin-film-microstrip lines (TFMSLs) with a MET2 and MET3 signal line are utilized for the routing of the matching and bias insertion networks, independent of the Si substrate. A more detailed description of the BEOL process and possible layer configurations for compact TFMSL networks are, furthermore, given in [7] and [8].…”