Compact X-band MMIC LNA for MFC's receiver unit

An X-band low-noise amplifier based on a 0.25µm E-mode pHEMT process for the receiver side of a multifunctional chip is presented. Both stages of the amplifier are dual-supply powered with +3 V drain and +0.7 V gate operation, and the first stage uses minimum noise matching while the second stage uses RLC negative feedback to improve the overall gain flatness of the amplifier. The performance of the X-band LNA in the 8-12Ghz range are as follows: NF>1.5 dB; S21>19 dB, gain flatness less than 0.5 dB; VSWR1<1.9, VSWR2<1.6; the chip size is 1.75mmX0.8mm, meeting the compact requirements of the MFC for the cell circuit.