Single-Ended Resistive Down-Converter MMICs in InGaAs mHEMT and GaN-HEMT Technologies for D-Band (110-170 GHz) Applications

This paper reports on the comparison done for the first time between the simulations and measurements of monolithic millimeter-wave integrated single-ended passive downconverter circuits, fabricated in the 35-nm and 50-nm gate-length mHEMT technologies, and in the 100-nm gate-length AlGaN/GaN HEMT technology. The down-converters are intended for operation in D-band (110-170 GHz). The three MMICs are based on a single-ended resistive-type mixer with a single transistor topology and give an IF output frequency of 200 MHz. The average measured conversion gain of the 35-nm and 50-nm mHEMT mixer is -6.5 dB and -7.5 dB, respectively, driven by an LO input power of 4 dBm. The measured 1-dB compression point is more than 6 dBm of RF input power for both circuits. The average conversion gain of the 100-nm GaN-HEMT mixer is -9.6 dB with an LO power of 11 dBm and its 1-dB compression point is greater than 7 dBm.