Title :
DC -50 GHz MMIC variable attenuator with a 30 dB dynamic range
Author_Institution :
Hewlett-Packard Co., Santa Rosa, CA, USA
Abstract :
A description is given of a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) FET variable attenuator demonstrating a 30-dB dynamic range of attenuation over a DC -50-GHz frequency band with a minimum insertion loss of 1.8 dB at 26.5 GHz and 2.6 dB at 40 GHz. The associated input/output return loss was always greater than 10 dB at any attenuation setting. An operational amplifier feedback scheme implemented around a DC reference circuit enabled automatic input/output impedance matching and linear attenuation with a single control voltage without any noticeable degradation of radiofrequency (RF) performance. The maximum attenuation increases with frequency from 32 dB at DC to 42 dB at 50 GHz.<>
Keywords :
Schottky gate field effect transistors; attenuators; field effect integrated circuits; microwave integrated circuits; 0 to 50 GHz; 1.8 to 2.6 dB; 10 dB; DC reference circuit; MESFET type; MMIC variable attenuator; automatic input/output impedance matching; input/output return loss; linear attenuation; minimum insertion loss; monolithic microwave integrated circuit; operational amplifier feedback scheme; single control voltage; Attenuation; Attenuators; Dynamic range; FET integrated circuits; MMICs; Microwave FET integrated circuits; Microwave FETs; Microwave integrated circuits; Monolithic integrated circuits; Radio frequency;
Conference_Titel :
Microwave Symposium Digest, 1988., IEEE MTT-S International
Conference_Location :
New York, NY, USA
DOI :
10.1109/MWSYM.1988.22083
