Millimeter-wave monolithic integrated circuits and modules for safety and security applications

Metamorphic high electron mobility transistor (mHEMT) technologies with 100, 50, and 35 nm gate lengths have been developed at Fraunhofer IAF for operation in the millimeter-wave frequency range up to 600 GHz. Based on these technologies, a variety of multifunctional millimeter-wave and submillimeter-wave monolithic integrated circuits (MMICs and S-MMICs) has been realized. To demonstrate the potential of these technologies, this paper presents some examples of S-MMICs developed for use in next generation systems for safety and security applications: a 460 GHz amplifier and a 300 GHz heterodyne receiver. Furthermore, a complete 94 GHz imaging system for materials testing and concealed object detection is presented.