Abstract

We demonstrated high power and low noise GaAs MMIC amplifiers for K- to Ka-band space equipment. For high power application, two different approaches were adopted. A SIV(Source Island Via-hole) FET high power amplifier achieved a saturation output power of 33 dBm with a power added efficiency of 26% at 21 GHz, which also provided an output power as high as 32 W when 16 chips of them were power-combined in an SSPA for an on-board transponder. On the other hand, a p-HEMT high power amplifier using lumped element matching circuits provided a P1dB of 31 dBm with a linear gain of 11.5 dB at 19 GHz. For low noise application, p-HEMT low noise amplifier delivered a super low noise Figure of 1.0 dB with an associated gain of 18 dB at 32 GHz. Gamma ray irradiation hardness of mm-wave MMIC LNAs was also investigated, up to 1E7 rad, which indicated that the p-HEMT MMIC LNA has sufficient gamma ray hardness in the space environment.