A V-Band Wideband Power Amplifier with High Gain in a 130 nm SiGe BiCMOS Process

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Microwave Engineering
• Semiconductor Device Physics

Background:

• V-band frequencies (52-65 GHz) are crucial for high-speed wireless communication.
• Existing power amplifiers often face trade-offs between gain, bandwidth, and size.
• There is a need for efficient and compact power amplifiers for emerging V-band applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and demonstrate a high-gain, wideband power amplifier (PA) for V-band applications.
• To achieve significant bandwidth extension while maintaining high gain and output power.
• To develop a compact PA solution using advanced design techniques.

Main Methods:

• Employed pole-gain distribution, base-capacitive peaking, and parallel transistor configuration.
• Utilized a two-stage design approach.
• Fabricated the PA using a 130 nm SiGe BiCMOS process.

Main Results:

• Achieved a peak gain of 27.3 dB at 64 GHz.
• Demonstrated a 3 dB bandwidth exceeding 13 GHz (fractional bandwidth > 22.2%).
• Delivered a maximum saturated output power of 19.7 dBm and a compact chip area of 0.57 mm².

Conclusions:

• The proposed PA design effectively integrates high gain, wide bandwidth, and substantial output power.
• The compact SiGe BiCMOS implementation is suitable for V-band wireless systems.
• The employed techniques offer a viable solution for next-generation high-frequency amplifiers.