A Two-Stage Monolithic IF Amplifier Utilizing a Ta/sub 2/O/sub 5/ Capacitor

A two-stage monolithic IF amplifier incorporating a sputtered Ta/sub 2/O/sub 5/ capacitor has been fabricated. The monolithic capacitor is based on a composite layer structure consisting of Au, Ta, Ta/sub 2/O/sub 5/, Ta, and Au. This layered structure is sequentially deposited in a single sputtering run, which eliminates particulate contamination. As a result, a thin pinhole-free dielectric layer can be deposited over large areas, and 140-pF capacitors have been fabricated with excellent yields. The large unit area capacitance of 1500 pF/mm/sup 2/ available with the present process has the potential for reducing the size of matching and bias circuits in microwave monolithic circuits and hybrid thin-film circuits. The monolithic amplifiers exhibit a gain of 17.5 +- 1.0 dB from 1.2 to 2.6 GHz and a minimum noise figure of ~2.7 dB, with an associated gain of 17.5 dB at 1.7 GHz.