A review of InP/InAlAs/InGaAs based transistors for high frequency applications

We report the first observation of sub-terahertz bulk-magnetization precession, using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. The magnetization precession in gallium-substituted e-iron oxide nano-ferromagnets under zero magnetic field is induced by the impulsive magnetic field of the THz wave through the gyromagnetic effect. Just at the resonance frequency, the linear to circular polarized wave conversion is realized. This is understood as the free induction decay signal radiated from a rotating magnetic dipole corresponding to the natural resonance. Furthermore, this demonstration reveals that the series of gallium-substituted e-iron oxide nano-ferromagnets is very prospective for magneto-optic devices, which work at room temperature without external magnetic field, in next-generation wireless communication.

Ultrafast time domain demonstration of bulk magnetization precession at zero magnetic field ferromagnetic resonance induced by terahertz magnetic field.

Design and analysis of a dc-43.5-GHz fully integrated distributed amplifier (DA) using a GaAs high electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) cascode gain stage is presented in this paper. The proposed DA is fabricated in a stacked 2-μm InGaP/GaAs HBT, 0.5-μm AlGaAs/GaAs enhancement- and depletion-mode HEMT monolithic microwave integrated circuit technology. A modified m -derived network and an HEMT-HBT cascode amplifier with inductive peaking technique are investigated to enhance the bandwidth of the DA. The bias networks of the DA are fully integrated in a single chip without off-chip bias-T or bias components. The measured average small-signal gain is 8.5 dB. The measured minimum noise figure is 4.2 dB. The measured maximum output 1-dB compression point (P1 dB) and the maximum output third-order intercept point are 8 and 18 dBm, respectively. Moreover, the DA is successfully evaluated with an eye diagram measurement, and demonstrates good transmission quality.

Design and Analysis of a DC–43.5-GHz Fully Integrated Distributed Amplifier Using GaAs HEMT–HBT Cascode Gain Stage

This paper presents an unilateralization technique for distributed amplifiers (DAs) based on the transformer coupling between the gate and drain lines. Theoretical analysis of the DA indicates that the voltage waves in the gate and drain lines can be described by a system of linear partial differential equations. The transformer coupling between the lines allows for cancellation of the reverse transmission coefficient of the system. There is an optimal value for the coupling coefficient between the lines that unilateralizes the DA. This optimal coupling coefficient is derived in terms of the gate-drain capacitance and capacitances of the gate and drain lines. Using the proposed technique, two monolithic microwave integrated circuit DAs are designed and implemented in a 0.1- μm GaAs pHEMT process. The first DA provides average gain of 10 dB and 3-dB bandwidth (BW) of 39 GHz. The amplifier exhibits the minimum noise figure (NF) of 2.3 dB and the maximum output 1-dB compression point ( P1 dB) of 14.0 dBm, while consuming 80 mW from a 2-V supply. The second amplifier, composed of two cascaded coupled-line DAs, provides average gain of 19.2 dB, 3-dB BW of 37.5 GHz, the minimum NF of 2.3 dB, and the maximum P1 dB of 12.6 dBm. It consumes 131 mW from a 2-V supply. The designed amplifiers can operate with supply voltages as low as 0.5 V to reduce power consumption, while their gain, BW, and NF are preserved. The maximum ratio of gain-bandwidth product to power consumption GBW/Pdc of 11.9 GHz/mW is provided by the cascaded DA.

Unilateralization of MMIC Distributed Amplifiers

Broadband amplification of signals is desirable in many applications such as high-speed data communications, high-resolution imaging systems, optoelectronics, and instrumentation systems. Wide bandwidth is one of the prominent factors to be considered in designing such systems because it determines the system's ability to transfer high-data-rate information, transmit/receive short pulses, and process wide-band signals. Designing broadband amplifiers has always been challenging. The ever-increasing demand for higher data rates and low energy consumption in next-generation communication systems further complicates broadband amplifier design.

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The (R)evolution of Distributed Amplifiers: From Vacuum Tubes to Modern CMOS and GaN ICs

In this paper, a double heterojunction bipolar transistor (DHBT) process has been developed in transferred-substrate (TS) technology to optimize high-frequency performance. It provides an aligned lithographic access to frontside and backside of the device to eliminate dominant transistor parasitics. The transistors of 0.8 times 5-mum2 emitter mesa feature ft = 410 GHz and fmax = 480 GHz at a BVceo = 5.5 V. Parallel to the device setup, a multilevel metallization scheme is established. It serves as construction kit for 3-D configurations of active and passive elements. High yield of the TS DHBTs, consistent large-signal modeling, and accurate simulation of complex passive elements have been demonstrated and have proved the availability of the technology for advanced millimeter-wave circuit design.

InP DHBT Process in Transferred-Substrate Technology With $f_{t}$ and $f_{\max}$ Over 400 GHz

This paper presents a novel InP-SiGe BiCMOS technology using wafer-scale heterogeneous integration. The vertical stacking of the InP double heterojunction bipolar transistor (DHBT) circuitry directly on top of the BiCMOS wafer enables ultra-broadband interconnects with <; 0.2 dB insertion loss from 0-100 GHz. The 0.8 × 5 μm2 InP DHBTs show fT/fmax of 400/350 GHz with an output power of more than 26 mW at 96 GHz. These are record values for a heterogeneously integrated transistor on silicon. As a circuit example, a 164-GHz signal source is presented. It features a voltage-controlled oscillator in BiCMOS, which drives a doubler-amplifier chain in InP DHBT technology.

InP-DHBT-on-BiCMOS Technology With $f_{T}/f_{\max}$ of 400/350 GHz for Heterogeneous Integrated Millimeter-Wave Sources

Promising transistor results of an InP transferred substrate (TS) technology are presented. ft and fmax are reported as high as 420 and 450 GHz, respectively. Processing has been developed to a full monolithic microwave integrated circuit compatible technology with metal-insulator-metal capacitors, NiCr resistors, and a multilevel wiring scheme. As an example, traveling-wave amplifiers (TWAs) have been designed and realized in a microstrip environment. Simulations of the environment have been done, and are presented in this paper. They have then been used as a design kit to perform circuit simulations. The TWAs demonstrate a gain of 12.8 dB and a 3-dB cutoff frequency fc of 70 GHz. To the authors' knowledge, this is the highest proven bandwidth of a broadband amplifier in TS technology.

F.J. Schmueckle

Papers

InP DHBT Process in Transferred-Substrate Technology With $f_{t}$ and $f_{\max}$ Over 400 GHz

InP-DHBT-on-BiCMOS Technology With $f_{T}/f_{\max}$ of 400/350 GHz for Heterogeneous Integrated Millimeter-Wave Sources

Traveling-Wave Amplifiers in Transferred Substrate InP-HBT Technology