Abstract

In this paper we present a (2x5) matrix amplifier with a DC power consumption as low as 200 mW with 13 dBm of RF output power (@ 1 dB compression point) achieving 7 dB of small-signal gain (residual ripple 0.3 dB) and input-output return loss always better than -14 dB. Designed using the LN05 monolithic process of Thomson Composants Microondes (TCM), the amplifier employs ten MESFETs of 160 µm (4x40 nm) gate width and sub-micron (0.5 µm) gate length, for a total chip area of 2.5x3.5 mm2. Broadband performance and very low power consumption make this amplifier very well suited for high-volume realization of monolithic multiple-stage front-ends in integrated high bit-rate fiber-optic receivers.