DC Power-Optimized Ka-Band GaN-on-Si Low-Noise Amplifier With 1.5 dB Noise Figure

A Ka-band low-noise amplifier for low-consumption robust receivers is presented in this letter. The monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) is designed on a 100 nm GaN-on-Si technology provided by OMMIC foundry and decibel gain, average noise figure (NF) of 1.5 dB, with input-output return losses better than 15 dB in the whole 27-31 GHz design band. Large signal measurements show a OP1 dBcp of +16 dBm and survivability to RF input power verified up to +25 dBm without showing critical degradation. These performances have been achieved with only 150 mW dc power consumption in linear operating condition, 30% less than other Ka-band GaN LNAs published in the open literature