FET Characterization and Modeling Targeting Low-Noise W-Band Applications

The upcoming 5G telecommunication systems will require front-end electronics operating above 100 GHz to sustain the required data rates and, as a consequence, the availability of reliable device models to design the critical components. As far as the design of low-noise amplifiers is concerned, the direct characterization of the noise parameters of bare devices at frequencies above 100 GHz is at present out of reach. As an alternative, equivalent-circuit models have to be extracted based on noise measurements at lower frequencies and then extrapolated up to the actual operation frequencies. An example of this procedure is presented in this contribution, where models based on noise figure measurements up to 50 GHz are successfully extrapolated in W-band. In particular, model validation is achieved through design, fabrication and measurement of a multi-stage LNA featuring a typical noise figure of 3.7 dB and gain of 22 dB in a industrial grade 100-nm GaAs technology.