Cryogenic characteristics of wide-band pseudomorphic HEMT MMIC low-noise amplifiers

Two wideband (8-18-GHz) single-stage MMIC (monolithic microwave integrated circuit) low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) using 0.2- mu m T-gate InGaAs pseudomorphic HEMT (high-electron-mobility transistor) technology, designed and fabricated for room temperature operation, were evaluated and compared at cryogenic temperatures below 20 K. One is a balanced design using 3-dB Lange couplers, and the other is a feedback design using a series RLC parallel feedback network. The gain flatness over the 8-18-GHz frequency band was maintained for both amplifiers at room and cyrogenic temperatures, indicating that the topology for wideband designs is insensitive to temperature of operation. As the physical temperature decreased from 297 K to below 20 K, the balanced LNA exhibited an average gain increase of 2 dB and as much as an eightfold reduction of noise temperature to 20 K, while the feedback LNA exhibited an average gain increase of less than 1 dB and an average foufold reduction of noise temperature to 50 K. The negative feedback network of the feedback LNA resulted in less gain increase and less noise temperature reduction at cryogenic temperatures.<
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