A 1.4 watt Q-band GaAs PHEMT MMIC

A Q-band three-stage monolithic GaAs PHEMT amplifier with an output power of 1.4 W from 42 to 45 GHz has been developed. Power added efficiency between 14 and 18% with an associated gain of 12.5 dB was measured when biased at Vds=6.0 V and Idsq=1000 mA. When biased at Vds=5.0 V, Idsq=1000 mA this amplifier has demonstrated over 1.1 W of output power with an associated gain of 11.5 to 12.5 dB from 41 to 46 GHz. Similar performances were also measured when the design was transferred from 2 mil thick 3 inch diameter pilot process line to the 2 mil thick, 4 inch diameter manufacturing process line.