InP based HBT millimeter-wave technology and circuit performance to 40 GHz

InP-based heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) millimeter-wave amplifiers and oscillators designed in a microstrip environment and working up to 40 GHz are discussed. A 20-40-GHz balanced high-intercept amplifier and a 30-GHz voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) have been successfully fabricated and tested. These circuits benchmark the first InP HBT microstrip designs at K-a-band frequencies. The high-intercept amplifier achieves a gain of 5 dB and an IP3 of 20 dBm at 35 GHz. The monolithic VCO uses a base emitter varactor diode to tune as high as 9% bandwidth from a nominal oscillation frequency of 30 GHz. The output power is invariant of VCO tuning and is about +9.9 dBm+or-0.5 dBm. The collector efficiency is 21%. The total power dissipation is 77 mW. These demonstration circuits show the great potential of HBTs in millimeter-wave communication systems.<
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