Codesign of 12-22 GHz Integrated PIN-diode Limiter and Low Noise Amplifier

In this paper, the design and fabrication of a 12-22 GHz monolithic integrated GaAs PIN-diodes and pseudomorphic high-electron mobility transistors (pHEMTs) limiter low noise amplifier (limiter-LNA) is proposed. A multi-branch limiter with the antiparallel PIN-diode topology is employed to enhance the power capacity of the limiter-LNA. The PIN-diode based limiter-LNA can work in 10W continuous wave power. The fabricated limiter-LNA demonstrated an average small signal gain of 26 dB, a noise figure (NF) of less than 2.7 dB over 12-22 GHz frequency range. The output power at 1dB compression point (P1dB) is larger than 10 dBm and the chip size is 3.0 mm×1.1 mm. Compared with the traditional hybrid integrated circuit, this chip has smaller size and better RF performance.