First Demonstration of G-Band Broadband GaN Power Amplifier MMICs Operating Beyond 200 GHz
Maciej Ćwikliński, Peter Brückner, Stefano Leone, Sebastian Krause, Christian Friesicke, H. Maßler, R. Quay, O. Ambacher
Abstract
We report on two state-of-the-art G-band (140–220 GHz) GaN amplifiers. Employing a novel concept of a broadband and compact interstage matching network allows for incorporating a high number of gain stages. The first 10-stage amplifier (AMPl) can provide more than 15 dB of small-signal gain over a 60-GHz band (145–205 GHz) with a peak value of 30 dB at 155 GHz. This circuit can deliver up to 16.9 dBm of output power at 195 GHz. The second 10-stage amplifier (AMP2) shows on average 10 dB of small-signal gain from 162 GHz to 217 GHz. In this case, the output power reaches 15 dBm at 205 GHz. Both circuits show excellent RF-yield and homogeneity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of GaN-based amplifiers that are able to operate beyond 200 GHz. The circuits show also the highest ever-reported gain and output power at such high frequencies with GaN technology.