GaN/Si vs GaAs LNA Linear and Nonlinear Characterizations, New FOMs, in Millimeter Wave T/R Chip Context

This paper presents a comparative performance analysis of two LNAs realized in GaAs and GaN technologies for millimeter wave T/R chip (transceiver/receiver) applications. Circuits are fabricated using two different technologies and characterized on board. Measurements are performed in 24–32 GHz frequency band. A first comparison based on classic measurements is done by introducing a linear factor of merit. Non-linear characterizations complete this set of measurements to quantify the power handling of the two LNAs in order to determine the linear and non-linear operating areas and the handling of the spurious signals. We introduce a new large signal figure of merit (FOMLS) to quantify these performances. These two FOMs are applied to a state of the art to analyse performances according to system requirements.