A 35 to 40 GHz image rejection receiver front end

A compact, mm-wave package, containing two multifunction MMICs that accommodate the core components required for an image rejection receiver front end, operating over 35 to 40 GHz, has been designed and tested. The first multifunction MMIC, fabricated on the 0.15 μm gate length PHEMT P3H foundry process at TRW, is a single chip 35 to 40 GHz receiver that integrates a low noise amplifier (LNA), image rejection bandpass filter, mixer and IF amplifier occupying 5.5×2.64 mm. The second MMIC is a doubler-buffer amplifier, fabricated on the 0.25 μm gate length PHEMT H40 process at Marconi Materials Technology Caswell, occupying 3.2×1.47 mm, providing a 32 to 40 GHz LO signal from a low power source operating at 16 to 20 GHz. A mm-wave package has been developed to combine the functionality of the two MMICs along with DC bias regulation and sequencing into a compact, co-axial package. Successful performance was achieved, namely 25 dB conversion gain, >40 dB image rejection and typically 5 dB noise figure with a local oscillator drive level of 6 dBm