167-GHz and 155-GHz High Gain D-band Power Amplifiers in CMOS SOI 45-nm Technology

In this paper, two D-band millimeter-wave wideband and high gain power amplifiers are proposed. Designed in CMOS SOI 45 nm technology, the two amplifiers operate in two adjacent bands: around 155 GHz (low-band, LB) and 167 GHz, (high-band, HB). They are composed of four stages of capacitively neutralized pseudo-differential common-source cells. Millimeter-wave matching transformers are used to achieve high gain and output power at the target frequencies. Their power consumption is 92 mW and 95 mW, respectively, under 1-V supply. They exhibit an output statured power of 8.8 dBm and 6.5 dBm, at 152 GHz and 167 GHz, respectively. The low-band power amplifier provides a 3-dB bandwidth of 17.5 GHz and a maximum gain of 18 dB. Compared to the existing CMOS D-band power amplifiers, the HB PA is the first to be able to operate up to 170 GHz with good performance. The presented PAs occupy each an active area of 0.04 µm
²
.