A Miniaturized Microwave Limiter by Using T-Type LC Network Topology with GaAs Technology

A miniaturized ultra-wideband microwave limiter with low insertion loss is presented in this paper. This limiter adopts a three-stage antiparallel diode structure. A T-type LC network topology consisting of two spiral inductors and a parallel grounded metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor is utilized to replace the traditional λ/4 transmission line in series between the limiting circuits. Compared with the traditional topology, the proposed limiter has the advantages of miniaturization and ultra-wideband. The area of the presented microwave limiter chip is only 1.25×0.75mm
²
. The simulation results show that the limiter can work in 0.05-18GHz. Insertion loss is less than 0.65dB at 18GHz. The output power can be maintained below 15dBm with a maximum power input of 40dBm continuous wave.