A low power 52.9 GHz static divider implemented in a manufacturable 180 GHz AlInAs/InGaAs HBT IC technology

We have demonstrated a 52.9 GHz static 1/8 divider in an AlInAs/InGaAs HBT technology. To our knowledge this is the fastest static divider reported in any semiconductor technology. The divider was realized in a high yield optical lithography triple mesa HBT process. At maximum speed, power consumption was 40 mW/flip-flop. A second 1/8 divider, designed for lower power but using the same size transistors, consumed 8.6 mW/flip-flop at 35 GHz. Sensitivity was excellent with the high-speed version operating from DC to 48 GHz with less than 0 dBm input power. Uniformity and reproducibility were also demonstrated; all functional dividers operated above 45 GHz on-wafer and the extrapolated yield of dividers indicates that the process is capable of supporting 500-1000 transistor designs. Circuit performance was relatively insensitive to the details of the device epitaxial structure indicating a highly robust and manufacturable process.