5-35 GHz broadband if amplifier section in 0.13 μm SiGe technology for W-band heterodyne receiver RFICs

ABSTRACT This letter presents the results of a broadband intermediate frequency (IF) section radio frequency integrated circuit designed for a W‐band heterodyne radiometer receiver in a 0.13 μm SiGe BiCMOS process. The differential IF section which consists of an amplifier and a power detector uses inductive and resistive matching to obtain a wideband response. The IF amplifier has a measured gain of 10.0–19.5 dB at 2–37 GHz, noise figure of 6–8 dB at 1–26 GHz, and OIP3 of 7–17 dBm at 1–40 GHz. The detector has a measured responsivity of 1 kV/W and an estimated noise equivalent power (NEP) of 4–6 pW/Hz1/2 at 5–35 GHz, respectively. For the IF section, the input return loss is better than 10 dB at 7–40 GHz and the responsivity is 10–82 kV/W at 5–35 GHz. The broadband properties over significantly wider bandwidths than earlier reported silicon‐based IF amplifier and power detector circuits make the SiGe 5–35 GHz IF section suitable for W‐band direct‐conversion radiometer receiver Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits with a larger predetection bandwidth and improved sensitivity. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:2286–2289, 2015