Multi-Channel PA, LNA, and Switch MMICs for Beam-Switching Applications at 160 GHz, Based on an InGaAs mHEMT Technology

In this paper, we report 1:8 switch as well as 4-channel low-noise-amplifier (LNA) and power amplifier (PA) circuits, that have been developed for the implementation of Rotman lens-based beam-switching front ends at 160 GHz. The circuits are implemented in an InGaAs-channel metamorphic high-electron mobility transistor (mHEMT) technology with 35-nm gate length. A passive and an active 160-GHz switch variant with 8 dB of insertion loss and 15 dB of gain, respectively, are described. The 4-channel LNA circuit has a noise figure below 3.0 dB, achieving state-of-the-art performance at the lower G-band. Furthermore, more than 14 dBm of linear output power are measured for each channel of the PA circuit, which is state of the art for InGaAs-channel HEMT PA circuits at 160 GHz, featuring more than 18.5 dBm of saturated output power per channel.