A 130-151 GHz 8-Way Power Amplifier with 16.8-17.5 dBm Psat and 11.7-13.4% PAE Using CMOS 45nm RFSOI

This paper presents a D-band linear power amplifier (PA) with high gain, high output power and high efficiency using CMOS 45nm RFSOI process. An 8-way (4-way differential) power-combining technique is implemented to increase the power amplifier linearity and output power. To decrease the loss of the output combiner, the first stage output power combiner is designed as part of the power matching network. The PA achieves a small-signal gain of 22.2-24 dB with 1-1.2 V supply at 140 GHz, respectively. The measured P1dB and Psat are 14.2 dBm and 17.5 dBm with 1.2 V supply, at 140 GHz. The maximum PAE is 13.4%. The 140 GHz PA operates from 130 to 150 GHz with an OP1dB > 13 dBm, which is ideal for high-speed wireless communication systems.