200-GHz Amplifier With 16-dB Gain and 6.4-mW Power Consumption for Phased-Array Receivers

This letter presents a high-gain low-power amplifier for phased arrays operating at millimeter-wave frequencies. The amplifier consists of the cascade of five common-base stages, which are matched with a multistub approach. The circuit was fabricated in a 130-nm BiCMOS technology and provides 16dB of gain for a dc power consumption of just 6.4 mW from a 0.8-V voltage supply. The -3-dB frequency band spans from 175 GHz to 200 GHz, which corresponds to a relative bandwidth of 14%. The measured input and output return losses are above 12 dB at the center of the frequency band of amplification, and then gradually increase up to 6 dB toward its edges. The layout of the amplifier is shaped for integration into a planned receiver phased array. The described features are enabled by the use of common-base stages, and by the designed multistub matching networks. The amplifier compares well against other reported designs operating at 200 GHz by showing the highest gain normalized to the power consumption, with an improvement of more than a factor of two.