A GaN-on-SiC transmit/receive MMIC frontend for 6-to-18-GHz phased array transceivers

Resumen

This work presents a monolithic transmit/receive (T/R) frontend for the 6-18-GHz band, implemented in 150-nm gallium-nitride (GaN) technology. Single-die integration is leveraged by co-designing all subcircuits: the T/R asymmetric switch simplifies the transmit (Tx) path to save for Tx output power and efficiency, while its receive (Rx) branch merges into the low-noise amplifier input matching network for compactness and reduced noise. On-wafer measurements show an average Tx output power of 9.5 W (minimum 5.6 W) with 19.4% efficiency (minimum 13.5%) across the band. In Rx mode, the prototypes exhibit over 21 dB gain with an average noise figure of 3 dB (maximum 3.3 dB). These metrics compete with the state of the art of ultrawideband GaN-based single-chip T/R frontends.