Abstract

In this paper we report an array-based design methodology for the realisation of monolithic millimetre-wave integrated circuits (MMMICs). This work focuses on the realisation of a 94GHz MMMIC amplifier using an array-based approach by integrating high performance 50nm T-gate InP-HEMTs with an fT of 480GHz and a Si3N4 Metal Insulator Metal (MIM) capacitor technology formed using room temperature inductively coupled plasma chemical vapour deposition (ICP-CVD) nitride deposition together with a range of more conventional coplanar waveguide-based passive components. A single stage amplifier, predicted to have a gain of 8 dB and return loss of better than –10dB at 94 GHz, demonstrated experimentally a gain of 8dB and a return loss of better than -6dB across a bandwidth of 7GHz from 89GHz to 96GHz at the designed bias point . The use of a room temperature nitride deposition process allows all passive components to be realised after active device realisation, and enables a mm-wave “sea-of-gates” arraybased design methodology.