A 25 GHz InGaAs/InAlAs-InP HBT power MMIC with 48% power added efficiency

Author

Kobayashi, K.W. ; Li Yang ; Gutierrez-Aitken, A. ; Kaneshiro, E. ; Yamada, F.M. ; Yen, H.C. ; Block, T.R. ; Oki, A.K. ; Streit, D.C.

Author_Institution

Electron. & Technol. Div., TRW Inc., Redondo Beach, CA, USA

fYear

1999

Firstpage

409

Lastpage

412

Abstract

This paper describes the first InAlAs/InGaAs-InP HBT MMIC power amplifier results reported for frequencies above 20 GHz. The MMIC amplifier employs a unique oval emitter array (OEA) device and a 1000 nm thick collector epitaxy in order to improve the thermal and electrical properties of the power HBT device cell. The resulting HBTs obtain a BV/sub ceo/ breakdown voltage of 8.5 V with f/sub T/´s and f/sub max/´s of 70 GHz and 120 GHz. The K-band MMIC amplifier combines four 2/spl times/5 oval emitter array devices (total area=286 um/sup 2/) using a compact four-way microstrip combiner and obtains an output power of 21.5 dBm, a power gain of 9.5 dB, and an associated power added efficiency of 48% at 25 GHz. These results were obtained at conservative peak current density of 23 KA/cm/sup 2/ and a low supply of 3.5 V which suggests reliable HBT power operation.

Keywords

III-V semiconductors; MMIC power amplifiers; aluminium compounds; bipolar MMIC; gallium arsenide; heterojunction bipolar transistors; indium compounds; 25 GHz; 3.5 V; 48 percent; 9.5 dB; InAlAs/InGaAs-InP HBT MMIC power amplifier; InGaAs-InAlAs-InP; K-band; breakdown voltage; microstrip combiner; oval emitter array; power added efficiency; Epitaxial growth; Frequency; Heterojunction bipolar transistors; Indium compounds; Indium gallium arsenide; K-band; MMICs; Microstrip antenna arrays; Power amplifiers; Power generation;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Electron Devices Meeting, 1999. IEDM '99. Technical Digest. International

Conference_Location

Washington, DC, USA

Print_ISBN

0-7803-5410-9

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/IEDM.1999.824181

Filename

824181