A 80-100 GHz image-reject passive-HEMT mixer

This paper describes a single‐sideband, subharmonically pumped, passive‐HEMT integrated circuit mixer developed for use in transceivers for point‐to‐point telecommunications in the 83–87 GHz band. The gallium arsenide (GaAs) monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) can readily be fabricated using a standard commercial process. The mixer performs equally well for either up‐ or down‐ conversion. For RF signals in the range 80–100 GHz, the conversion loss is typically 20 dB with LO drive in the range 40–50 GHz. Under these conditions, high rejection of the undesired sideband (>18 dB), relative to the desired signal, is achieved. For up‐conversion, 1 dB compression of the mixer gain typically occurs at −12 dBm RF output power. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 48: 2429–2433, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.21953