A 6- to 18-GHz two-stage distributed low noise amplifier designed for high yield

Author

Culver, J. ; Bacon, P. ; Hoff, G.

Author_Institution

Texas Instruments Inc., Dallas, TX, USA

fYear

1990

fDate

7-10 Oct. 1990

Firstpage

301

Lastpage

304

Abstract

A high-performance 6- to 18-GHz MMIC (monolithic microwave IC) low -noise distributed amplifier is described. It was designed and fabricated to demonstrate readiness of both foundries for high-volume MMIC production. The LNA (low-noise amplifier) exhibits a nominal gain of 12.5 dB and a noise figure of 5.5 dB, average for both foundries. Measurements on 52 wafers show an overall yield of 54.1% with fabrication cost of about $3 per square millimeter. Yield is defined as the total number of devices that meet the RF requirements in relation to the total number of devices started. Sensitivity of the design to process variations and features of the design that minimize sensitivity are discussed.<>

Keywords

MMIC; microwave amplifiers; 12.5 dB; 5.5 dB; 6 to 18 GHz; LNA; MMIC; RF requirements; fabrication cost; process variations; sensitivity; two-stage distributed low noise amplifier; yield; Distributed amplifiers; Foundries; Gain; Integrated circuit noise; Low-noise amplifiers; MMICs; Microwave integrated circuits; Monolithic integrated circuits; Noise figure; Production;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Gallium Arsenide Integrated Circuit (GaAs IC) Symposium, 1990. Technical Digest 1990., 12th Annual

Conference_Location

New Orleans, LA, USA

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/GAAS.1990.175514

Filename

175514