Q-band low noise amplifiers using a 0.15μm MHEMT process for broadband communication and radio astronomy applications

Abstract

Two Q-band low noise amplifiers using a 0.15-µm InGaAs MHEMT process for broadband communication and radio astronomy applications are presented in this paper. Between 37 and 53 GHz, the LNA1 features a small signal gain of higher than 31 dB, a noise figure of better than 3.5 dB with a minimum noise figure of 2.8 dB at 44 GHz, and a gainbandwidth product (GBP) of 679 GHz. Between 32 and 50 GHz, the LNA2 features a small signal gain of higher than 28 dB, a noise figure of better than 3.2 dB with a minimum noise figure of 2.6 dB at 44 GHz, and a GBP of 569 GHz. The chip sizes of the LNA1 and LNA2 are both 2 1 mm 2 . The LNAs demonstrate broad bandwidth, high gain, low noise figure, and compact chip size, and they will be further applied to a few broadband receivers for communications and radio astronomy applications. Moreover, this work demonstrates the highest GBP among all the reported Q-band LNAs.Index Terms -Broadband, high gain, InGaAs, MHEMT, low noise figure.978-1-4244-1780-3/08/$25.00

Design of a GaAs-Based Ka-Band Low Noise Amplifier MMIC with Gain Flatness Enhancement

“…A 32-50 GHz low noise amplifier has a gain of 28 dB but a noise figure of 2.8 dB [14]. The LNA in Reference [15] exhibits a gain flatness of 1.2 dB and NF of 2.2-2.6 dB, but its gain is limited.…”