Sanae Boulay, Limelette, Nov 05 th 20091/20 S. Boulay, B. Boudjelida, A. Sharzad, N. Ahmad, M. Missous Novel Ultra Low Noise Amplifiers based on InGaAs/InAlAs

Sanae Boulay, Limelette, Nov 05th 2009 1/20

S. Boulay, B. Boudjelida, A. Sharzad, N. Ahmad, M. Missous

Novel Ultra Low Noise Amplifiers based on

InGaAs/InAlAs pHEMTs

University of Manchester


What are the SKA requirements? Manchester ‘foundry’ capabilities : work flow Process technology: key points of InP LNA LNA fabrication and results Achievements

Outline

Novel Ultra Low Noise Amplifiers based on InGaAs/InAlAs pHEMTs


What are the SKA requirements


LNA at frequency range from : 0.3 GHz to 2 GHz (Ultra Wide Band)

Ultra Low Noise: try to reduce NF ~ <0.4 dB.

Low Power dissipation ~< 100mW

Low cost : transfer to mass production (>> 1 Million LNAs)

What’s available in the market? Nothing that fit the bill yet!

•too expensive, power hungry, MIC (large size), limited frequency band.


What do we bring to the project?


A cost effective solution :

1. Optical lithography = low cost

2. Single chip MMIC!

-New type of material based on InP (low leakage current, High VBR )

-Large periphery active device (up to W=1.2mm)

-devices easy to match


Introduction : objective of this work Manchester foundry capabilities : work flow Process technology: key points of InP LNA LNA fabrication and results Conclusion and future work

Outline



Material growth (MM, JS)

Fabrication (AB, SB, JS)

DC and RF Characterization & Device modelling (BB, AS)

Individual components

Design (BB, AS)

Work Flow



LNA circuit design (BB, AS)

LNA layout design (AB, SB)

LNA fabrication (AB, SB)

Integration in full LNA process

Material growth (MM, JS)

Fabrication (AB, SB, JS)

DC and RF Characterization & Device modelling (BB, AS)

Individual components

Design (BB, AS)

Work Flow


LNA characterisation

(Selex, MC2, Uni of Man)


Introduction : objective of this work Manchester foundry capabilities : work flow Process technology LNA fabrication and results Conclusion and future work

Outline



•First ever demonstrated large periphery InP based pHEMT.

•On state gate leakage as low as 0.5μA at a typical low noise bias of 1V, 60 x lower (Bouloukou et al, HETECH, 2007)

[1]: R. T. Webster, et al, IEEE Electron Device Letters, vol. 21, 193-5, 2000

Key point: New type of material


Typical InGaAs/InAlAs pHEMT experimental gate current curves

Typical 0.15 μm x 40 μm gate InP-based HEMT [1]


-12 -10 -8 -6 -4 -2 0

-14

-12

-10

-8

-6

-4

-2

0

Ig<2A at Vg=-10V

Vg (V)

Key point: High break down Voltage


High break down voltage (> 10V up to 20V) and low leakage levels make it possible to use

large periphery devices (commonly used for high-power operation) for low noise operation

Ig (A

)

2x75m Gate periphery


• Larger geometries lead to lower Rn ,

•Low Rn allows for a closer match between NF and NFmin

• Closer match enables less complex low noise amplifier (LNA) designs

• less integrated passives

• less added noise sources

22

mgk

Rn

)1(1

422

2

0

min

ss

soptn

ZR

FF

Low NFmin and low Rn are key for low frequency LNA designsLarge periphery devices essential

Key point: reduction in Rn and NF



Introduction : objective of this work Manchester foundry capabilities : work flow Process technology: key points of InP LNA LNA fabrication and results Conclusion and future work

Outline



LNA design study


Design Technology pHEMT NF Freq range

D1 Double stage MIC-off chip matching

4x200m 0.4dB 0.2 to 2GHz

D2 Double stage MMIC 4x200m 0.65dB 0.2 to 2GHz

D3 Single stage MMIC 4x200m 0.95dB 0.2 to 2GHz

2nd Generation LNA

D2

D3

1st Generation LNA done, tested on 2’’ wafers.Packaging studies in parallel With RFMOD.

Dimensions:X = 1.48 mmY = 1.24 mm


LNA Process Fabrication


10 steps process:-pHEMTs, Lg=1m, W= 800μm-MIM passives-NiCr resistors

pHEMTs

Resistors

Capacitors

Inductors

All CPW technology!


Single-stage circuit; Full MMIC measurements

Measurement results (SELEX)

LNA Measurements SELEX


Error in the layout design (short in all the double satge LNAs)And ground plane not well defined in first run addressed in newer runs

Unfortunately:


1 2 3 40 5

-50-40-30-20-10

010

-60

20

Frequency (GHz)

S-P

aram

eter

s (d

B) S(2,1)

S(1,2)

MeasuredSimulated

S Parameters of a single stage LNA, SELEX


VDD = 3V ; Id = 15 mA Pdiss = 45 mW


1 2 3 40 5

-20

-15

-10

-5

-25

0

Frequency (GHz)

S-P

aram

eter

s (d

B) S(1,1)

S(2,2)

MeasuredSimulated

VDD = 3V ; Id = 15 mA Pdiss = 45 mW

S Parameter of a single stage LNA, SELEX



InP MMIC Single Stage XMBE#144 DEVICES N3 to N6

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

0.0E+00 5.0E+08 1.0E+09 1.5E+09 2.0E+09 2.5E+09 3.0E+09 3.5E+09

freq(Hz)

NF

(dB

) NF(25mA) -N3

NF(25mA)-N4

NF(25mA)-N5

Best data at 25mA NF ~ 1.5dB to 2dB from 1 to 2.5 GHz

Noise measurements of a single stage LNA, MC2


At 25 mA drain current, VDD=3V => Pdiss=75mW!


Full active and passive device libraries.

Demonstrated quality requirements:

reliability, reproducibility of the fabrication process.

Encouraging results with NF~1.5 to 2dB single stage LNA from 1GHz to 2GHz and Pdiss~75mW.

Optimization of the 2nd generation LNA design based on measurements …

Transfer the process on 2’’ wafer: homogeneity, and reliability of the process.

Effect of packaging.

3rd Generation LNA (with new pHEMTs structures, High Gm)

New fabrication method for very low cost sub-micron (0.5 m) technology.

Future work

Achievements and future work


Achievements


Any Questions?

Thank you for your attention

Documents

Sanae Boulay, Limelette, Nov 05 th 20091/20 S. Boulay, B. Boudjelida, A. Sharzad, N. Ahmad, M. Missous Novel Ultra Low Noise Amplifiers based on InGaAs/InAlAs