Determination of InP HEMT noise parameters and S-parameters to 60 GHz

A millimeterwave experimental technique is described for directly determining the noise parameters and scattering parameters of V-band InP HEMT's. The parameters are suitable for the design of monolithic millimeterwave integrated circuits since they represent the InP HEMT as it would appear in the monolithic environment. The method relies on careful characterization of the measurement system and the InP HEMT packages or test fixtures. Results are provided for an InP HEMT with 1.37 dB minimum noise figure and a maximum stable gain of 12.74 dB at 57 GHz. In addition, it is shown that noise parameters measured between 2 GHz and 26 GHz can be extrapolated to 60 GHz, and that consistent S-parameters can be obtained for InP HEMT's in precision packages and test fixtures.<>