A monolithic Ka-band 0.25 mu m GaAs MESFET transmitter for high volume production

A monolithic Ka-band transmitter consisting of a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) and a power amplifier using 0.25 mu m MESFET technology has been developed for high volume production. An output power of 21.5 dBm at 35.4 GHz with a tuning range of 600 MHz has been achieved. Hundreds of these monolithic transmitters have been fabricated, and an RF yield of 40% has ben achieved from the GaAs MMIC pilot line based on the total number of wafers started. The high yield obtained from this high level integration of multifunctional MMIC chips indicates the maturity of the design and processing capability of millimeter-wave (MMW) GaAs MESFET technology.<
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