Design of low-cost 4W & 6W MMIC high power amplifiers for Ka-band modules

Two Ka-band power amplifier MMICs, 4W and 6W, with high power density and gain are presented. Each amplifier was designed using a 5-stage topology to demonstrate over 30dB of gain. The 4W design exhibited a peak saturated output power of 37.2dBm and a chip output power density of 532 mW/mm/sup 2/. This is the highest recorded power density for a Ka-band power amplifier design to date. The high gain and power density make them ideal for low-cost Ka-band transmit systems.