Front-end MMICs for broadband high throughput satellite systems utilizing V and Q-band

To utilize the V and Q band spectrum for commercial satellite payloads, high performance, space-qualified, millimeter-wave active devices are required. There are several critical issues associated with designing and manufacturing space-qualified devices at these frequencies. Specifically, the smaller feature sizes, larger circuit parasitics, and decreasing active device performance dictated by higher frequencies make it difficult to produce parts that meet the demanding requirements for these advanced payloads. Requirements such as high linearity, low noise figure, and wide bandwidth need to be optimized for V and Q band applications. Additionally, a path to space-qualification must be considered for these active devices. This paper will focus on the development of 0.1μm pHEMT MMICs to meet the requirements for these challenging applications. Specifically those related to the front-end section of the transponder. MMIC qualification, design, performance, and future developments will be discussed. Finally, validation of these MMIC designs is presented with measurements giving, to the best of the author's knowledge, the first reported performance for a fully integrated V-Band receiver unit designed for space qualification.