A 1.1V 150GHz amplifier with 8dB gain and +6dBm saturated output power in standard digital 65nm CMOS using dummy-prefilled microstrip lines

This paper presents the first 150 GHz amplifier in a digital 65 nm CMOS technology. Design techniques to preserve raw transistor gain near f_max include layout optimization, dummy-prefilled microstrip lines (MSL) for design-rule compliance, and matching topologies which minimize passive element losses. To the authors´ knowledge, the measured 8.3 dB gain, 6.3 dBm saturated output power (P_sat), 1.5 dBm P_1dB, 25.5 mW DC dissipation (PDC), and 27 GHz 3 dB BW are among the best in either CMOS or SiGe beyond 110GHz.