Design and performance of pHEMT MMICs for Ka-band communications applications

In a joint EPSRC project, King's College London, the University of Leeds, and the Queens University of Belfast are addressing the problems involved with the large-signal characterisation and design of millimetre-wave integrated circuits. The circuit functions of particular interest are LNAs, mixers and modulators (King's), power amplifiers (Leeds) and oscillators (Belfast). A 38 GHz communications transmitter-receiver is the target of the work, and GEC-Marconi's new H40 pHEMT MMIC process is being used. A wide range of demonstrator circuits has recently been tested and some early results are presented.