Bahl, I.J.

Solid State Circuits

The Electrical Engineering Handbook
Ed. Richard C. Dorf
Boca Raton: CRC Press LLC, 2000
2000 by CRC Press LLC
43
SoIId Sfafe CIrcuIfs
43.1 Intioduction
43.2 Amplifeis
43.3 Oscillatois
43.4 Multiplieis
43.5 Mixeis
43.6 Contiol Ciicuits
43.7 Summaiy and Futuie Tiends
43.1 Intruductiun
Ovei the past two decades, miciowave active ciicuits have evolved fiom individual solid state tiansistois and
passive elements housed in conventional waveguides and/oi coaxial lines to fully integiated planai assemblies,
including active and passive components and inteiconnections, geneiically iefeiied to as a miciowave integiated
ciicuit (MIC). The hybrid microwave integrated circuit (HMIC) consists of an inteiconnect pattein and
distiibuted ciicuit components piinted on a suitable substiate, with active and lumped ciicuit components (in
packaged oi chip foim) attached individually to the piinted inteiconnect ciicuit by the use of soldeiing and
wiie bonding techniques. The solid state active elements aie eithei silicon oi gallium aisenide (oi othei III-V
compound) devices. Moie iecently, the solid state monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) appioach
has become commonplace. In MMICs, all inteiconnections and components, both active and passive, aie
fabiicated simultaneously on a semi-insulating semiconductoi substiate (usually gallium aisenide, GaAs) using
deposition and etching piocesses, theieby eliminating disciete components and wiie bond inteiconnects. The
teim MMIC is used foi ciicuits opeiating in the millimetei wave (30-300 GHz) iegion of the fiequency spectium
as well as the miciowave (1-30 GHz) iegion. Majoi advantages of MMICs include low cost, small size, low
weight, ciicuit design exibility, bioadband peifoimance, elimination of ciicuit tweaking, high-volume man-
ufactuiing capability, package simplifcation, impioved iepioducibility, impioved ieliability, and multifunction
peifoimance on a single chip.
Miciowave ciicuits use two types of active devices: two-teiminal devices, iefeiied to as diodes, such as
Schottky, Gunn, tunnel, impact avalanche and tiansit time (IMPATT), vaiactoi, and PIN, and thiee-teiminal
devices, iefeiied to as tiansistois, such as bipolai junction tiansistoi (BJT), metal semiconductoi feld effect
tiansistoi (MESFET), high election mobility tiansistoi (HEMT), heteiostiuctuie FET (HFET), and heteiojunc-
tion bipolai tiansistoi (HBT). Miciowave ciicuits using these devices include ampliners, oscillators, multipli-
ers, mixers, switches, phase shifters, attenuators, modulatois, and many otheis used foi ieceivei oi tiansmittei
applications coveiing miciowave and millimetei wave fiequency bands. New devices, miciowave computer-
aided design (CAD) tools, and automated testing have played a signifcant iole in the advancement of these
ciicuits duiing the past decade. The theoiy and peifoimance of most of these ciicuits have been well documented
Kollbeig, 1984; Bhaitia and Bahl, 1984; Pucel, 1985; Maas, 1986; Bahl and Bhaitia, 1988; Goyal, 1989; Ali et al.,
1989; Chang, 1990; Vendelin et al., 1990; Ali and Gupta, 1991; Chang, 1994]. Solid state ciicuits aie extensively
used in such applications as iadai, communication, navigation, electionic waifaie (EW), smait weapons,
I. }. BahI
ITT Co||um Arende
Tec|no|ogy Cenrer
2000 by CRC Press LLC
consumei electionics, and miciowave instiuments and equipment. This section will biiey desciibe the pei-
foimance status of amplifeis, oscillatois, multiplieis, mixeis, and miciowave contiol ciicuits.
43.2 Amp!ihers
Amplifei ciicuits have ieceived maximum attention in solid state ciicuits development. The two-teiminal device
amplifeis, such as paiametiic, tunnel, Gunn, and IMPATT, aie noimally called re[eton-ye trtus, oi negae
ressante am|fers. A diagiam foi these amplifeis is shown in Fig. 43.1(a). Paiametiic amplifeis aie naiiow-
band (<10%) and have veiy good noise fguie. Tunnel-diode amplifeis aie high-gain, low-noise fguie, and
low-powei ciicuits. Octave bandwidth of such amplifeis is possible. The peifoimance of Gunn-diode amplifeis
is quite similai to tunnel-diode amplifeis. IMPATT-diode amplifeis aie high powei and high effciency. They
aie modeiately noisy, and bandwidths up to an octave aie possible.
The basic ciicuit confguiation foi thiee-teiminal device amplifeis is shown in Fig. 43.1(b). Seveial diffeient
types of amplifeis developed using tiansistois aie low noise, powei, high lineaiity, bioadband, high effciency,
logaiithmic, limiting, tiansimpedance, and vaiiable gain. The silicon bipolai tiansistoi peifoims veiy well up
to about 4 GHz, with ieliable peifoimance, high powei, high gain, and low cost. The GaAs MESFETs peifoim
bettei than the bipolai tiansistois above 4 GHz. They aie bioadband, have a wide dynamic iange, aie highly
ieliable, and aie low cost. Both low-noise and medium-powei MESFET amplifeis aie available. They compete
with uncooled paiametiic amplifeis as well as modeiate-powei IMPATTs. HEMTs fnd a niche in low-noise
and high-fiequency applications. The noise ngure of HEMT amplifeis is bettei than that of uncooled paia-
metiic amplifeis up to 100 GHz, as shown in Fig. 43.2.
Vaiious techniques aie used to iealize small signal oi low-powei bioadband amplifeis. Five of them aie
shown in Fig. 43.3. The distiibuted appioach piovides the unique capability of excellent gain-bandwidth
pioduct, low VSWR (voltage standing wave ratio), and modeiately low noise fguie. This technique has been
successfully used in monolithic ultiabioadband amplifeis. The peifoimance of such amplifeis using vaiious
tiansistoi devices is given in Table 43.1.
The peifoimance of solid state powei amplifeis is shown in Fig. 43.4. Cuiiently, IMPATT and Gunn diodes
piovide maximum powei above 10 GHz, wheieas bipolai junction tiansistoi and MESFET technologies offei
the most piomise to geneiate highei powei levels below 10 GHz. In paiticulai, IMPATT devices have been
opeiated ovei the complete millimetei wave band and have shown good continuous wave (CW) and pulsed
powei effciency and ieliability.
Duiing the past decade signifcant piogiess has been made in monolithic powei amplifeis opeiating ovei
both the naiiowband and bioadband Williams and Bahl, 1992; Tseing and Sauniei, 1991]. Powei levels as
high as 12 W fiom a single MMIC chip at C-band with 60% powei-added effciency (PAE) have been demon-
stiated. A 6-W MMIC chip has been developed at X-band. A 2-W powei output has been obtained at 30 GHz.
FIGURE 43.1 Amplifei ciicuits confguiations. (a) Two-teiminal negative iesistance type iequiies a ciiculatoi to isolate
the input and output poits. (b) Thiee-teiminal tiansistoi type iequiies input and output matching netwoiks.
2000 by CRC Press LLC
In the high- effciency aiea, a C-band MMIC amplifei with 70% PAE, 8-dB gain, and 1.7-W powei output has
been demonstiated. Foi bioadband amplifeis having an octave oi moie bandwidth, MMIC technology has
been exclusively used and is quite piomising. Figuie 43.5 depicts powei peifoimance foi single-chip MMIC
amplifeis spanning miciowave and millimetei wave fiequencies. The state of the ait in high effciency and
bioadband powei MMIC amplifeis is summaiized in Tables 43.2 and 43.3, iespectively. Note that the high-
effciency examples included in Table 43.2 all exceed 40% PAE.
43.3 Osci!!aturs
Solid state oscillatois iepiesent the basic miciowave eneigy souice and have the advantages of light weight and
small size compaied with miciowave tubes. As shown in Fig. 43.6, a typical miciowave oscillatoi consists of a
MESFET as an active device (a diode can also be used) and a passive fiequency-deteimining iesonant element,
such as a miciostiip, suiface acoustic wave (SAW), cavity iesonatoi, oi dielectiic iesonatoi foi fxed tuned
oscillatois and a vaiactoi oi a yttiium iion gainet (YIG) spheie foi tunable oscillatois. These oscillatois have
the capability of tempeiatuie stabilization and phase locking. Dielectiic iesonatoi oscillatois piovide stable
opeiation fiom 1 to 100 GHz as fxed fiequency souices. In addition to theii good fiequency stability, they aie
simple in design, have high effciency, and aie compatible with MMIC technology. Gunn and IMPATT oscillatois
piovide highei powei levels and covei miciowave and millimetei wave bands. The tiansistoi oscillatois using
MESFETs, HEMTS, and HBTs piovide highly cost-effective, miniatuie, ieliable, and low-noise souices foi use
up to the millimetei wave fiequency iange, while BJT oscillatois ieach only 20 GHz. Compaied to a GaAs
MESFET oscillatoi, a BJT oi a HBT oscillatoi typically has 6 to 10 dB lowei phase noise veiy close to the caiiiei.
Figuie 43.7 shows the peifoimance of vaiious solid state oscillatois. Highei powei levels foi oscillatois aie
obtained by connecting high-powei amplifeis at the output of medium-powei oscillatois.
43.4 Mu!tip!iers
Miciowave fiequency multiplieis aie used to geneiate miciowave powei at levels above those obtainable with
fundamental fiequency oscillatois. Seveial diffeient nonlineai phenomena can be used to achieve fiequency
FIGURE 43.2 Compaiison of noise peifoimance of vaiious solid state amplifeis; the InP HEMT LNA, which is also
compatible with MMIC technology, is a cleai choice foi ieceivei applications wheie ciyogenic cooling is piecluded. (Sourte.
D. Willems and I. Bahl, Advances in Monolithic Miciowave and Millimetei Wave Integiated Ciicuits," IEEE In. Crtus
anJ Sysems Sym. Dges, pp. 783-786. C 1992 IEEE. With peimission.)
2000 by CRC Press LLC
multiplication, e.g., nonlineai ieactance in vaiactois and step-iecoveiy diodes and nonlineai iesistance in
Schottky baiiiei diodes and thiee-teiminal devices (BJT, MESFET, HEMT, HBT).
Vaiactoi multiplieis offei the best fiequency multipliei peifoimance. Vaiactoi multiplieis (pulsed) have
achieved powei output in excess of 100 and 10 W at 4 and 10 GHz, iespectively Bahl and Bhaitia, 1988].
Table 43.4 shows the best peifoimance measuied in the millimetei wave iange and above.
43.5 Mixers
Mixeis conveit (heteiodyne) the input fiequency to a new fiequency, wheie flteiing and/oi gain is easiei to
implement, in contiast to detectois, which aie used to piovide an output signal that contains the amplitude
oi amplitude vaiiation infoimation of the input signal. A mixei is basically a multipliei, which iequiies two
FIGURE 43.3 Bioadband amplifei confguiations. Ba|anteJ has low noise fguie and bettei cascadability, [eeJ|at| has
small size, ate mat| is moie suitable foi monolithic appioach, and Jsr|ueJ is good foi multioctave bandwidths.
RF
n
RF
Out
dentical Amplifier Stages
90 Hybrids
Matching
Network
Matching
Network
MN MN
MN
Balanced
Feedback
Active Match
Resistive/
Reactive Match
Distributed
2000 by CRC Press LLC
signals and uses any solid state device that exhibits nonlineai piopeities. Mixing is achieved by applying an RF
and a high-powei local oscillatoi signal to a nonlineai element, which can be a diode oi a tiansistoi.
As illustiated in Fig. 43.8, theie aie many types of mixeis: one diode (single ended), two diodes (balanced
oi antipaiallel), foui diodes (double balanced), and eight diodes (double-double balanced). Mixeis can also be
iealized using the nonlineaiities associated with tiansistois that piovide conveision gain. The most commonly
used mixei confguiation in the miciowave fiequency band is the double-balanced mixei, which has bettei
isolation between the poits and bettei spuiious iesponse. Howevei, the single and balanced mixeis place lowei
powei iequiiements on the local oscillatoi and have lowei conveision loss.
Subhaimonic mixing (wheie the local oscillatoi fiequency is appioximately half that needed in conventional
mixeis) has been extensively used at millimetei wave fiequencies. This technique is quite useful when ieliable
stable local oscillatois aie eithei unavailable oi piohibitively expensive at high fiequencies. Figuie 43.9 gives
the peifoimance of millimetei wave mixeis.
TABLE 43.1 Bioadband Single-Chip Distiibuted MMIC Amplifei Peifoimance
Fiequency Noise
Range (GHz) Gain (dB) Figuie (dB) Device Used
0.5-26.5 6 5.2 0.32 m GaAs HEMT
0.5-50 6 - 0.32 m GaAs HEMT
2-18 9 5.7 0.5 m dual gate FET
2-20 9.5 3.5 0.2 m GaAs HEMT
2-24 6 - 2 m SABM GaAs HBT
5-40 9 4.0 0.25 m GaAs HEMT
5-60 8 - 0.25 m GaAs HEMT
5-100 5 - 0.1 m InP HEMT
6-18 10.5 - 0.4 m GaAs MESFET
9-70 3.5 7.0 0.2 m GaAs PHEMT
SABM, self-aligned base ohmic metal; PHEMT, pseudomoiphic HEMT.
Sourte. D. Willems and I. Bahl, Advances in Monolithic Miciowave and Millimetei
Wave Integiated Ciicuits," IEEE In. Crtus anJ Sysems Sym. Dges, pp. 783-786.
C 1992 IEEE. With peimission.
FIGURE 43.4 Powei peifoimance of miciowave powei amplifeis.
2000 by CRC Press LLC
FIGURE 43.5 Peifoimance status of single-chip powei MMIC amplifeis using MESFET, HFET, HEMT, and HBT
technologies.
TABLE 43.2 Single-Chip High-Effciency Powei MMIC Peifoimance
Fiequency No. of
(GHz) Stages P
O

(W) PAE (%) Gain (dB)
5.2 1 12.0 60 9
5.5 1 1.7 70 8
8.5 2 3.2 52 -
10.0 1 5.0 48 7
10.0 1 6.0 44 6
11.5 2 3.0 42 12
Sourte. D. Willems and I. Bahl, Advances in Monolithic Miciowave and
Millimetei Wave Integiated Ciicuits," IEEE In. Crtus anJ Sysems Sym.
Dges, pp. 783-786. C 1992 IEEE. With peimission.
W.L. Piibble and E.L. Giiffn, An ion-implanted 13W C-band MMIC
with 60% peak powei added effciency," IEEE 1996 Mtrowae anJ M||me-
er-Vae Mono||t Crtus Symosum Dges, pp. 25-28.
2000 by CRC Press LLC
TABLE 43.3 Single-Chip Bioadband Powei MMIC Peifoimance
Fiequency No. of
(GHz) Confguiation Stages Gain (dB)
P
O
(W)
PAE(%)
1.5-9.0 Reactive match 2 5 0.5 14
2.0-8.0 Distiibuted 1 5 1.0 -
2.0-20.0 Distiibuted 1 4 0.8 15
3.5-8.0 Reactive match 2 10 2.0 20
6-17 Distiibuted/ieactive 4 16 0.8 11
6-20 Distiibuted 1 11 0.25 -
7-10.5 Reactive match 2 12.5 3.0 35
7.7-12.2 Reactive match 2 8.0 3.0 14
12-16 Reactive match 3 18 1.8 18
14-33 Distiibuted 1 4 0.1 -
Sourte. D. Willems and I. Bahl, Advances in Monolithic Miciowave and Mil-
limetei Wave Integiated Ciicuits," IEEE In. Crtus anJ Sysems Sym. Dges,
pp. 783-786. C 1992 IEEE. With peimission.
FIGURE 43.6 Basic confguiation of a dielectiic iesonatoi oscillatoi. The feedback element is used to make the active
device unstable, the matching netwoik allows tiansfei of maximum powei to the load, and the dielectiic iesonatoi piovides
fiequency stability.
FIGURE 43.7 Maximum CW powei obtained fiom solid state miciowave oscillatois.
2000 by CRC Press LLC
43.6 Cuntru! Circuits
Contiol components aie widely used in communication, iadai, EW, instiument, and othei systems foi con-
tiolling the signal ow oi to adjust the phase and amplitude of the signal Bahl and Bhaitia, 1988; Chang, 1990;
Shaima, 1989; Sokolov, 1991]. PIN diodes and MESFETs aie extensively used in HMICs and MMICs, iespec-
tively, foi miciowave contiol ciicuits, such as switches, phase shifteis, attenuatois, and limiteis. PIN diode
ciicuits have low loss and can handle highei powei levels than do MESFET components; conveisely, the lattei
have gieat exibility in the design of integiated subsystems, consume negligible powei, and aie low cost.
Figuie 43.10 shows vaiious contiol confguiations being developed using PIN and MESFET devices. Eithei
device can be used in these ciicuits.
The most commonly used confguiation foi miciowave switches is the single-pole double thiow (SPDT) as
shown in Fig. 43.10(a), which iequiies a minimum of two switching devices (diodes oi tiansistois). Table 43.5
piovides typical peifoimance foi bioadband SPDT switches developed using GaAs MESFET monolithic tech-
nology. Table 43.5 also summaiizes peifoimance foi phase shifteis and attenuatois, which aie desciibed biiey
below.
Theie aie foui main types of solid state digitally contiolled phase shifteis: switched line, ieection, loaded
line, and low-pass/high-pass, as shown in Fig. 43.10(b). The switched-line and low-pass/high-pass confguia-
tions, which aie most suitable foi bioadband applications and compact size, aie not suitable foi analog
opeiation. Reection and loaded-line phase shifteis aie inheiently naiiowband; howevei, the loaded-line small
bit phase shifteis, 22.5 degiees oi less, can be designed to have up to an octave bandwidth. Phase shifteis using
the vectoi-modulatoi concept have also been developed in monolithic foim.
Voltage-contiolled vaiiable attenuatois aie impoitant contiol elements and aie widely used foi automatic
gain contiol ciicuits. They aie indispensable foi tempeiatuie compensation of gain vaiiation in bioadband
TABLE 43.4 Summaiy of State-of-the-Ait Peifoimance foi Millimetei Wave Fiequency Multiplieis
Tunable Output
Minimum Output Maximum Output
Maximum
Mount Opeiating Band Effc. Powei Effc. Powei Fieq. Pump Powei
Type (GHz) (%) (mW) (%) (mW) (GHz) (mW) Notes
a
Doublei 180-120 9.5 18 14.0 26.6 188 and 105 190 2, 3, 9
180-120 10.7 16 15.5 23.2 100 150 1, 2, 3
180-120 10 7 16 11 104 70 1, 4, 3
100 - - 25 20 100 80 6, 4
110-170 10 8 15 12.0 120 80 1, 2, 3
140-150 10 8 22 17.6 145 80 1, 2, 3, 5
190-260 10 8 27 21.5 215 80 1, 2, 3
200 - - 19 18 200 150 6, 4
400 - - 8.5 10.44 300 5.1 1, 2, 3, 7
500-600 7 0.7 - - - 10 1, 2, 8
Tiiplei 85-115 4 1.2 8 2.4 106 28 1, 2, 8
96-120 1.8 1.8 8.2 8.2 110 100 1, 2, 3
105 - - 25 18 105 72 6, 4
200-290 2.5 2.0 7.5 6 225 80 1, 2, 3
190-240 1 0.3 10 3 230 30 1, 2, 8
260-350 1.8 1.5 3.75 3.0 340 80 2, 3, 6
300 - - 2 2 300 100 6, 4
450 - - 1 0.079 450 6.3 1, 2, 3, 7
6 balanced 310-350 0.3 0.6 0.4 0.75 345 190 1, 2, 3, 6, 9
doublei/tiiplei
a
1, Ciossed waveguide mount; 2, tuning and bias optimized at each opeiating fiequency; 3, miciostiip low-pass fltei;
4, fxed tuning and bias; 5, naiiowbanded veision of NRAO 110- to 170-GHz doublei; 6, quasi-optical mount; 7, limited
pump powei available; 8, coaxial low-pass fltei; 9, two-diode balanced cioss guide mounts.
2000 by CRC Press LLC
FIGURE 43.8 Basic mixei confguiations: (a) single ended, (b) balanced, (c) double balanced, and (d) double-double
balanced.
FIGURE 43.9 Single-sideband (SSB) conveision loss of millimetei wave mixeis. Subhaimonic type mixeis have highei
conveision loss but aie geneially less expensive.
2.0
20 60 100 140 180 220 260
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
Subharmonic Mixer
RF FREQUENCY (GHz)
Fundamental Mixer
2000 by CRC Press LLC
amplifeis. Both PIN diodes and GaAs MESFET devices aie used foi vaiiable attenuatois. Figuie 43.10(c) shows
a vaiiable attenuatoi confguiation using MESFETs in the passive mode. Apait fiom the use of MESFETs in
the passive mode, active MESFET amplifei ciicuits may also be used foi vaiiable attenuation ciicuits. Dual-
gate MESFET amplifeis with contiolled voltage applied to the second gate aie ideal foi this puipose and
piovide a lowei noise fguie than the passive attenuatois.
A , whose basic confguiation is shown in Fig. 43.10(d), is an impoitant contiol component used at
miciowave fiequencies. An ideal limitei has no attenuation when low powei is incident upon it but has an
attenuation that incieases with incieasing powei (above a thieshold level) to maintain constant output powei.
Limiteis aie also used to piotect the ieceiveis fiom othei neaiby iadai tiansmitteis. Schottky and PIN diodes
FIGURE 43.10 Miciowave contiol ciicuits: (a) SPDT switch confguiations, (b) basic phase shiftei types, (c) schematic of
a MESFET attenuatoi, and (d) basic limitei ciicuit using two iectifying diodes.
2000 by CRC Press LLC
aie commonly used to iealize these components. Because they aie used at the fiont ends of ieceiveis, low loss
is one of the basic iequiiements.
43.7 Summary and Future Trends
In this section we have biiey desciibed the peifoimance of miciowave and millimetei wave solid state ciicuits.
Cuiiently the disciete silicon bipolai tiansistois, IMPATT diodes, and GaAs MESFETs aie most widely used in
solid state ciicuits and bipolai tiansistois, and IMPATT diodes aie still the most poweiful solid state souices
below S-band and 10 to 300 GHz, iespectively. The MESFET is the woikhoise foi miciowave ciicuits up to 40
GHz. The HEMT applications aie similai to the MESFET, including amplifeis, oscillatois, fiequency multipli-
eis, mixeis, and contiol ciicuits, and above 50 GHz, this device is exclusively used foi powei and low-noise
amplifeis. The HBTs applications include high-effciency amplifeis, ultiabioadband dc amplifeis, low-noise
oscillatois, fiequency multiplieis, and mixeis.
Duiing the past decade, GaAs monolithic technology has made tiemendous piogiess in pioducing single
and multifunction miciowave and millimetei wave ciicuits using MESFETs, HEMTs, and HBTs. This technology
is exeiting a piofound impact in pioducing low-cost and high-volume solid state ciicuits. Since monolithic
ciicuits have the advantage of bandwidth and iepioducibility ovei disciete devices because of wiie bond
elimination, the giowth in millimetei wave solid state ciicuits will be based on this technology, and a cost
ieduction by a factoi gieatei than 10 is expected in the neai futuie. Wheievei possible, the two-teiminal devices
such as IMPATT and Gunn diodes will be ieplaced by the tiansistois. Futuie tiends in solid state ciicuits also
include theii optical contiol, tuning, and stabilization.
Dehning Terms
Ampliner: Active two-poit device with signal of highei amplitude than the input signal while ietaining the
essential signal chaiacteiistics of the input signal.
Attenuator: Two-poit device with output signal of lowei amplitude than the input signal while ietaining the
essential signal chaiacteiistics of the input signal.
Bandwidth (BW): A measuie of the fiequency iange ovei which the ciicuit peifoims to specifed paiameteis
such as gain, noise fguie, powei output, etc.
Computer Aided Design (CAD): A design tool that constitutes ciicuit simulatois and optimization pio-
giams/algoiithms to aid the design of miciowave ciicuits to meet the specifed peifoimance goals.
Dual-Gate MESFET: This device is similai in opeiation to MESFET but possesses two gates: an RF gate and
a contiol gate, instead of a single RF gate.
Gain: The iatio of the output signal to the input signal of an amplifei.
Hybrid microwave integrated circuit (HMIC): A planai assembly that combines diffeient ciicuit functions
foimed by stiip oi miciostiip tiansmission lines piinted onto a dielectiic substiate and incoipoiating
disciete semiconductoi solid state devices and passive distiibuted oi lumped ciicuit elements, inteicon-
nected with wiie bonds.
TABLE 43.5 Peifoimance of GaAs FET Contiol Monolithic ICs
Maximum Minimum Minimum Minimum
Inseition Retuin RMS Minimum Dynamic Maximum Switching
Fiequency Loss Loss Eiioi Isolation Range Powei Speed Size
Ciicuit Function (GHz) (dB) (dB) (deg.) (dB) (dB) (dBm) (ns) (mm2)
Bioadband SPDT switch DC-20 12.0 17 - 24 - 25 0.4 1.27 1.27
DC-40 13.0 17 - 23 - 25 0.8 0.84 1.27
2 2 Switch matiix DC-20 13.5 10 - 30 - - - 2.03 1.78
6-Bit phase shiftei 5-6 16.0 10 2.0 - - - 5.0 9.43 4.20
3-Bit phase shiftei 6-18 11.5 13 8.5 - - - - 2.2 1.25
Vaiiable attenuatoi DC-50 14.2 19 - - 30 - 1.0 1.52 0.65
Multibit attenuatoi DC-20 15.0 12 - - 75 26 - 2.55 1.57
2000 by CRC Press LLC
Limiter: A ciicuit in which the output powei is pievented fiom exceeding a piedeteimined value.
Mixer: A thiee-poit device in which the output signal is a haimonic of the add mixtuie of an input signal and
a local oscillatoi signal. An up conveitei is a mixei in which the output signal fiequency is above the input
signal. A down conveitei is a mixei in which the output signal fiequency is below the input signal.
Monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC): An MMIC is foimed by fabiicating all active and passive
ciicuit elements oi components and inteiconnections onto oi into the suiface of a semi-insulating
semiconducting substiate by deposition and etching schemes such as epitaxy, ion implantation, sputtei-
ing, evapoiation, and/oi diffusion, and utilizing photolithogiaphic piocesses foi pattein defnition, thus
eliminating the need foi inteinal wiie bond inteiconnects.
Multiplier: A two-poit device in which the output signal is a haimonic of the input signal.
Noise Figure: The noise fguie of any lineai two-poit ciicuit is defned as the signal-to-ioom tempeiatuie
theimal noise iatio at the input divided by the signal-to-noise iatio at the output.
Oscillator: An active one-poit device which pioduces a nominally fiequency stable constant amplitude signal.
PIN Diode: A two-poit semiconductoi device in which a p doped contact is isolated fiom an n-doped contact
by an intiinsic iegion foiming an anisotiopic junction.
Phase Shifter: A ciicuit that piovides a shift in the phase of the output signal with iespect to a iefeience value.
Return Loss: Ratio of ieected powei to input powei of a signal poit.
Switch: A ciicuit designed to close oi open one oi moie tiansmission paths foi the miciowave signals.
Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR): Ratio of maximum voltage amplitude to the minimum voltage
amplitude at the specifed poit.
Re!ated Tupics
25.1 Integiated Ciicuit Technology 25.3 Application-Specifc Integiated Ciicuits 37.2 Waveguides
Relerences
E. L. Kollbeig (Ed.), Miciowave and Millimetei-Wave Mixeis, New Yoik: IEEE Piess, 1984.
P. Bhaitia and I. J. Bahl, M||meer Vae Engneerng anJ |taons, New Yoik: John Wiley, 1984.
R. A. Pucel (Ed.), Mono||t Mtrowae InegraeJ Crtus, New Yoik: IEEE Piess, 1985.
S. A. Maas, Mtrowae Mxers, Noiwood, Mass.: Aitech House, 1986.
I. J. Bahl and P. Bhaitia, Mtrowae So|J Sae Crtu Desgn, New Yoik: John Wiley, 1988.
R. Goyal (Ed.), Mono||t Mtrowae InegraeJ Crtus. Tet|no|ogy anJ Desgn, Noiwood, Mass.: Aitech House,
1989.
F. Ali, I. Bahl, and A. Gupta (Eds.), Mtrowae anJ M||meer-Vae Heerosruture Transsors anJ T|er
|taons, Noiwood, Mass.: Aitech House, 1989.
K. Chang (Ed.), HanJ|oo| o[ Mtrowae anJ Ota| Comonens, vol. 2, New Yoik: John Wiley, 1990.
G. D. Vendelin, A. M. Pavio, and U. L. Rohde, Mtrowae Crtu Desgn Usng Lnear anJ Non|near Tet|nques,
New Yoik: John Wiley, 1990.
F. Ali and A. Gupta (Eds.), HEMTs anJ HBTs. Detes, Fa|rtaon anJ Crtus, Noiwood, Mass.: Aitech House,
1991.
K. Chang, Mtrowae So|J-Sae Crtus anJ |taons, New Yoik: John Wiley, 1994.
D. Willems and I. Bahl, Advances in monolithic miciowave and millimetei wave integiated ciicuits," IEEE In.
Crtus anJ Sysem Sym. Dges, pp. 783-786, 1992.
H. Q. Tseing and P. Sauniei, Advances in powei MMIC amplifei technology in space communications," Prot.
SPIE-Mono||t Mtrowae InegraeJ Crtus [or Sensors, RaJar, anJ Communtaons Sysems, pp. 74-85,
1991.
A. K. Shaima, Solid-state contiol devices: State of the ait," Mtrowae Journa|, 1989 State of the Ait Refeience,
pp. 95-112, Sept. 1989.
V. Sokolov, Phase shifteis technology assessment: Piospects and applications," Prot. SPIE-Mono||t Mtrowae
InegraeJ Crtus [or Sensors, RaJar anJ Communtaons Sysems, vol. 1475, pp. 228-332, 1991.
D. Fishei and I. Bahl, Ca||um rsenJe IC |taons HanJ|oo|, San Diego: Academic Piess, 1995.
2000 by CRC Press LLC
Further Inlurmatiun
The monthly jouinal IEEE Transatons on Mtrowae T|eory anJ Tet|nques ioutinely publishes aiticles on the
design and peifoimance of solid state ciicuits. Special issues published in July 1982, Januaiy and Febiuaiy 1983,
Maich 1984, and Septembei 1989 exclusively deal with this topic.
IEEEMtrowae anJ M||meer-Vae Mono|| Crtus Symosum Dgess, published eveiy yeai since 1982,
include compiehensive infoimation on the design and peifoimance of monolithic miciowave and millimetei-
wave solid state ciicuits.
Books included in the iefeiences of this chaptei discuss thoioughly the design, ciicuit implementation, and
peifoimance of solid state ciicuits.