0.1 μm InP HEMT devices and MMICs for cryogenic low noise amplifiers from X-band to W-band

We present the TRW 0.1 μm InP HEMT MMIC production technology that has been developed and used for state-of-the-art cryogenic LNA applications. The 0.1 μm InP HEMT devices typically show cutoff frequency above 200 GHz and transconductance above 1000 mS/mm. Aspects of device design and fabrication are presented which impact important parameters including the InP HEMT device gain, gate leakage current, and parasitic capacitance. One example of state-of-the-art cryogenic MMIC performance is a W-band cryogenic MMIC LNA operated at 20 degrees Kelvin that shows above 23 dB gain and a noise temperature of 30 to 40 K (0.45 to 0.6 dB noise figure) over the band of 80-105 GHz.