A robust Ku-band low noise amplifier using an industrial 0.25-µm AlGaN/GaN on SiC process

Besides the well known outstanding characteristics in terms of power density and thermal behavior, which are largely exploited for microwave high power applications, AlGaN/GaN HEMT technologies have demonstrated promising results for the design of low noise, high-dynamic-range and highly rugged amplifiers. In this paper we describe the design, implementation and characterization of a Ku-band MMIC Low Noise Amplifier for telecom Space applications, exploiting an industrial AlGaN/GaN 0.25 μm HEMT on SiC process. In the frequency band 12.8-14.8 GHz, the LNA features a linear gain over 20 dB with a Noise Figure below 1.85 dB. Input and output return losses are better than -9 dB in the same band. Power dissipation is 840 mW in linear operation. The LNA delivers about 25 dBm of output power at 1 dB compression point and it has been tested to survive without performance degradation 25 dBm of CW input power.