Distortion in 20 GHz Band Monolithic Active Inductor with WIN PP 10 Technology

In this paper the nonlinear origin of power compression in a monolithic active inductor operating in the 20 GHz band is investigated. The inductor is designed and fabricated in WIN PP10 technology, with 0.1um GaAs HEMTs ad a high ft above 130 GHz. The inductor has a slightly negative equivalent resistance while remaining stable, making it suitable for high-Q frequency selective circuits, as for instance active filters. The results of the analysis give clear indications for the improvement of the compression of the active inductor. Current 1dB gain compression point is around 7 dBm for a simple resonating shunt LC circuit, that can act as a basic cell for active filtering structures. This makes it suitable for practical application.