Regenerative GaAs MMIC Frequency Dividers for 28 and 14 GHz

The design and characterization of two regenerative frequency dividers based on a commercial foundry GaAs HEMT-process are described. The dividers are intended to be used in a 56 GHz phase locked frequency generator. The main goal is to design dividers that have high input sensitivity and low DC-power consumption. The dividers are regenerative and consist of a resistive mixer followed by a frequency selective amplifier. The regenerative divider, compared to a digital divider, consumes less DC-power and has a higher operational frequency. The output of the amplifier is fed back into the LO-port of the mixer through a lumped element coupler. The dividers occupy 4.5 mm2 each. Both dividers deliver 7 dBm output power with a rejection of the fundamental frequency of more than 15 dB and a DC-power consumption of 100 mW. The 14 GHz and 28 GHz dividers have 3 dB bandwidths of 11% and 5.7% respectively.