Low noise metamorphic HEMT devices and amplifiers on GaAs substrates

Abstract

Excellent noise (0.41 dB minimum noise figure with 11.5 dB associated gain at 18 GHz) and linearity (third order intercept point of 37.6 dBm at 42.5 mW DC power giving a linearity figure of merit (LFOM) of 137) have been obtained for a InAlAsAnGaAs metamorphic HEMT on a GaAs substrate. These devices have been used to design and fabricate microwave and millimeter wave amplifiers. Amplifier results will be presented.

Concurrent multiband low-noise amplifiers-theory, design, and applications

“…0018-9480/02$17.00 © 2002 IEEE Examples are the high electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs), such as pseudomorphic high electron-mobility transistors (pHEMTs) [11], metamorphic high electron-mobility transistors (MHEMTs) [12], as well as heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) [13], [14], built using a variety of semiconductor materials (e.g., GaAs, InP, Si, SiGe).…”

“…In this case, the noise factor is given by (12) Since , , and are assumed to be passive networks, and is a real admittance in all the practical cases (e.g., 1/50 ), the minimum value of the first term of the product above occurs when (13) for all frequency bands, . For this to be possible, all three passive networks should be lossless.…”

“…In addition to the minimization of at each center frequency of interest, (12) suggests that using higher and higher device can lower the NF further. One simple way of obtaining a large is to keep the network as simple as the intrinsic gate-source capacitance , i.e., using no explicit component between the gate and the source.…”

A novel CMOS low-noise amplifier design for 3.1- to 10.6-GHz ultra-wide-band wireless receivers

“…While various LNAs in CMOS technology have been studied for a long period [15]- [17], traditionally, wide-band RF amplifiers are realized in compound semiconductor technologies (e.g., SiGe and GaAs), taking advantage of their superior intrinsic frequency response and noise performance [18], [19]. With its higher parasitics, the lossy silicon substrate of the CMOS technology substantially degrades the gain and the noise performance of the amplifier as frequency increases, which further jeopardizes the maximum achievable bandwidth [20], [21].…”

Design and characterization of MMIC active cold loads

“…The lower cost of MHEMT technology results from process compatibility with larger area and lower cost GaAs substrates. Raytheon's MHEMT technology has shown high-linearity, low noise figure and high ft characteristics that are critical to the development of LNAs and active cold-loads for communication systems and radiometers [6,7]. In addition, MHEMT technology provides an additional degree of freedom for process optimization versus InP HEMT because, in an MHEMT, the Iq&l-,& channel indium content is not constrained by the substrate lattice corutant.…”