Characterization of a 400-GHz SiGe HBT technology for low-power D-Band transceiver applications

This paper describes a methodology for extracting the HICUM/L0 model of a 400-GHz SiGe HBT in the presence of strong self-heating. Good agreement is observed between measurements and simulations for DC characteristics, f
T
, f
MAX
, and Y parameters in a wide range of frequencies (DC to 170 GHz) and bias conditions. The low power capability of this process is demonstrated in a fundamental frequency 139–150 GHz VCO+16∶1 prescaler consuming less than 99 mW when operated from a 1.5V supply.