Cryogenic W-Band SiGe BiCMOS Low-Noise Amplifier

Abstract

In this paper we present the design, modeling, and on-wafer measurement results of an ultra- wideband cryogenically cooled SiGe low-noise amplifier covering at least 71 to 116 GHz. When cryogenically cooled to 20 K and measured on wafer the SiGe amplifier shows 95-116-K noise temperature from 77 to 116 GHz. This means 6 to 7 times improvement in noise temperature compared to room temperature noise. The measured gain is around 20 dB for frequency range of 71 to 116 GHz with unprecedented low power consumption of 2.8 mW. To the best of authors' knowledge, this is the highest frequency cryogenic SiGe low-noise amplifier and lowest noise performance for silicon amplifiers for W-band reported to date.

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