Comparison of single event effect on cascoded low noise amplifier performance metrics for two different frequencies

Abstract

This manuscript analyses the single event effects (SEE’s) on the well-known cascoded low noise amplifier (LNA) topology connected with an inter-stage inductor sandwiched between the common source (CS) and common gate transistors for boosting the LNA parameters (i.e., gain, etc.). In this article, we have considered that the LNA operates at two different frequencies, such as 10 and 30 GHz, in a radiation prone environment. The effect of SEEs is analyzed in two ways: (i) non-applying of a RF input with dc voltage only, and (ii) applying of a RF input with dc bias voltage. The first analysis uses to evaluate the collected charge (QCollected) through basic integration for drain terminal momentary current spike with suitable time period, and the second analysis estimates the LNA output discontinuity (distortion) using a spectrogram (short-time FFT) to determine the radiation strikes on cascoded LNA. The collected charge is calculated in the temporal analysis, and the discontinuity of LNA’s RF output is analysed using the spectrogram in the frequency domain analysis. From the temporal and frequency analysis, the LNA that operates at a lower frequency (10 GHz) provides more discontinuity in LNA output (causing more disturbance) than the LNA that operates at a higher frequency (30 GHz).