Impact of RF stress on different topologies of 100 nm X-band robust GaN LNA

Abstract

In this article, we study the robustness of 3 versions of a single stage LNA configured according to different modes of detectivity or robustness against electromagnetic jamming signals. Four successive sequences of RF step stress at 10 GHz are applied to each of the 3 LNAs under study. These robust MMIC LNAs have been designed using the D01GH GaN process from OMMIC technology, to switch from a nominal low noise mode to a high linearity mode. This DC-bias switch allows increasing the power input 1 dB compression point by 8 dB. This study focuses on the robustness of these LNAs (LNA#A for agile) when they operate under nominal low-noise mode (featuring lower IP1dB) or under nominal high-linearity mode (at the price of a degraded noise figure NF50). This original LNA#A is compared to a robust conventional design using a larger sized device (LNA#R for robust). The step-stresses are operated at 10 GHz, which is the center frequency band of these LNAs. All modes of operation are shown to exhibit fairly reproducible step stress plots, although thermal or nonlinear effects can be differentiated between low-noise and high-linearity operating conditions, and compared with the robust design LNA#R. We demonstrate the relevance of an alternative approach to conventional LNA circuit design strategies in order to achieve natural electronic protection, without a limiter placed before the LNA#A or LNA#R or without turning-off the DC-biasing: this protection option benefits from maintaining the LNA in an operational detection situation for longer when the incident input signal increases, without any degradation in electrical performance (DC and RF) or noise (NF50), even after many sequences of RF step stress.