A Low-power, High-gain and Excellent Noise Figure GaN-on-SiC LNA Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) operating at Ka-band for 5G/6G Application

Authors

  • Zhou Dai 1) School of Microelectronics (School of Integrated Circuits) Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China 2) Nanjing Electronic Devices Institute Nanjing, China
  • Chunyu Li School of Microelectronics (School of Integrated Circuits) Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China
  • Junda Yan Nanjing Electronic Devices Institute Nanjing, China
  • Tiancheng Zhang School of Microelectronics (School of Integrated Circuits) Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China
  • Huaguang Bao School of Microelectronics (School of Integrated Circuits) Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13052/2023.ACES.J.381010

Keywords:

Gallium nitride on silicon carbide (GaN-on-SiC), high gain, low-noise amplifier (LNA), low DC power consumption, optimal noise figure

Abstract

A 25-40 GHz monolithic low-noise amplifier (LNA) is designed and fabricated with the 100 nm gallium nitride on silicon carbide (GaN-on-SiC) technology. This four-stage-cascade monolithic LNA performs a low DC power consumption of 150 mW and noise figure of 1.6-2.2 dB. Moreover, the gain of 34-37 dB with the continuous wave of more than 2 W over 24 hours can be achieved covering the operating bandwidth. Hence, this state-of-art LNA possesses a great potential to be directly integrated with GaN power amplifiers and other microwave components to realize the high-integration, high-reliability, and high-power RF front-end.

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Author Biographies

Zhou Dai, 1) School of Microelectronics (School of Integrated Circuits) Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China 2) Nanjing Electronic Devices Institute Nanjing, China

Zhou Dai received the MSc. degree from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China, in 2011. He is currently working toward the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering in Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China. His research interest is in research on large dynamic and anti-jamming RF front-end ICs.

Chunyu Li, School of Microelectronics (School of Integrated Circuits) Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China

Chunyu Li was born in Jining, China, in 1996. He is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree in electronic science and technology from Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China. His research interests include integrated circuit modeling, electronic design automation, and computational electromagnetics.

Tiancheng Zhang, School of Microelectronics (School of Integrated Circuits) Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China

Tiancheng Zhang received the Ph.D. degree in communication engineering from the School of Electrical Engineering and Optical Technique, NJUST, Nanjing, China, in 2021. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Microelectronics, NJUST, Nanjing, China. His research interests include semiconductor simulation, RF-integrated circuits, and computational electromagnetics.

Huaguang Bao, School of Microelectronics (School of Integrated Circuits) Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China

Huaguang Bao received the B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in communication engineering from the School of Electrical Engineering and Optical Technique, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China, in 2011 and 2017, respectively. From 2017 to 2019, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the Computational Electromagnetics and Antennas Research Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University (USA). He is currently an associate professor with the School of Microelectronics, Nanjing University of Science and Technology. He serves as a reviewer for IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, Physics of Plasmas, etc. His research interests include semiconductor simulation, RF-integrated circuits, and computational electromagnetics.

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Published

2023-10-31

How to Cite

[1]
Z. Dai, C. Li, J. Yan, T. Zhang, and H. Bao, “A Low-power, High-gain and Excellent Noise Figure GaN-on-SiC LNA Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) operating at Ka-band for 5G/6G Application”, ACES Journal, vol. 38, no. 10, pp. 822–828, Oct. 2023.

Issue

2023: Vol 38 Iss 10

Section

Mode-inspired antennas/circuits for 5G/6G applications