35 dBm, 35 GHz power amplifier MMICs using 6-inch GaAs pHEMT commercial technology

• Published in: 2008 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium Digest pp. 855 - 858
• Main Authors: Mahon, S.J., Dadello, A., Fattorini, A.P., Bessemoulin, A., Harvey, J.T.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 01-06-2008
• Subjects: Gain; Gallium arsenide; MMIC power amplifiers; MMICs; PHEMTs; Power amplifiers; Power generation; Power measurement
• ISBN: 1424417805; 9781424417803
• ISSN: 0149-645X; 2576-7216
• DOI: 10.1109/MWSYM.2008.4632967

A 3.5 watt, 35 GHz power amplifier MMIC has been developed. The amplifier exhibits high performance at low processing cost, through the use of a commercially available 6-inch, 0.15-μm pHEMT process with 100 μm thick substrate. The single-ended four stage amplifier MMIC has 22 dB of gain at 35 GHz, 3.5 watts saturated output power (35.5 dBm), and power added efficiency of more than 25%, within a chip size of 12.75 mm 2 . In terms of power density, this is 740 mW/mm, which is to the authors' knowledge the best reported for fully matched GaAs pHEMT MMICs on 100-μm substrates at millimetre-wave frequencies.