Robust wideband LNA designs

This paper presents the design and measurement results of robust wideband low noise amplifiers (LNAs) for multifunctional next-generation active electronically scanned antenna applications targeting the frequency range from 5 to 18GHz. The presented LNAs offer different bond wire options to face a trade-off between RF performance, power handling capability, and power consumption. In a high RF performance mode the first LNA offers 3.5-dB noise figure (NF), 14-dB linear gain, an input referred 3rd order intercept point (IIP3) of 10 dBm, and survives 10W RF input power, consuming only 960-mW dc power. In applications where subsequent electronics need to be protected against high power levels, the LNA offers an output power limiting mode with only minor impact on RF performance. A second LNA is a balanced design with Lange couplers at the input and at the output with a positive effect on input and output return loss.