Design of Broadband LNA Using Improved Self-Bias Architecture

Abstract

A broadband low-noise amplifier (LNA) using 0.13 [Formula: see text]m GaAs HEMT technology for Ku-band applications is presented in this paper. By introducing an improved self-bias architecture, the LNA is achieved with low noise figure (NF) and high power gain. Compared with traditional LNA, self-bias architecture can reduce DC supplies to single one, and the improved architecture proposed here also takes part in source matching to reduce the complexity matching networks for broadband applications. To verify, an LNA operating over 12–18-GHz bandwidth is fabricated. The measurement results, for all the 72 chips on the wafer, and their average values are in great accordance with the simulation results, with 25.5–27.5-dB power gain, 1.1–1.8-dB NF, 15–17.5-dBm output power at [Formula: see text] and with a chip size of 2 mm [Formula: see text] 1.5 mm.