A Low Power/Low Noise MMIC Amplifier for Phased-Array Applications using InAs/AlSb HEMT

In this paper, we present a two-stage low-power/low-noise MMIC amplifier. At 10-GHz, the amplifier demonstrates high gain (~18-dB) and moderate noise figure (<1.8-dB) at a total DC power consumption of only 1.38-mW. The ultra-low power MMIC amplifier utilizes InAs/AlSb metamorphic HEMT technology, which enables a low-power/low-noise operating point of 0.15-V and 40-mA/mm for each gain stage, considerably lower than either InP or GaAs low- power bias points. The compact design (1.6×2.6-mm2) is realized in coplanar waveguide architecture (CPW), including CPW spiral inductors.