A D-Band Low-Noise Amplifier MMIC in a 70-nm GaN HEMT Technology

This paper demonstrates a D-band low-noise amplifier (LNA) monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) fabricated in a GaN-on-SiC high-electron-mobility transistor technology. The LNA comprises five stages in common-source configuration with 70-nm gate-length devices. The paper describes the design methodology including the device selection and choice of other essential design parameters. The LNA covers a frequency range from 102 to 155 GHz with a small-signal gain of 16.2-21.2 dB. The measured noise figure is within 3.6-5.6 dB with an average of 4.7 dB. At 135 GHz, the MMIC exhibits an output power at 1-dB gain compression and saturation of 13.7 and 17.5 dBm, respectively. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first GaN D-band LNA MMIC with a noise figure of below 6 dB covering a major part of the band.