TLFeBOOK Broadband Microwave Amplifiers TLFeBOOK ForalistingofrecenttitlesintheArtechHouseMicrowaveLibrary, turntothebackofthisbook. TLFeBOOK Broadband Microwave Amplifiers Bal S. Virdee Avtar S. Virdee Ben Y. Banyamin Artech House, Inc. Boston • London www.artechhouse.com TLFeBOOK LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData AcatalogrecordofthisbookisavailablefromtheLibraryofCongress. BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData AcatalogofthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary. CoverdesignbyGaryRagaglia ©2004ARTECHHOUSE,INC. 685CantonStreet Norwood,MA02062 Allrightsreserved.PrintedandboundintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.Nopartofthisbook maybereproducedorutilizedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,includ- ing photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permissioninwritingfromthepublisher. Alltermsmentionedinthisbookthatareknowntobetrademarksorservicemarkshave beenappropriatelycapitalized.ArtechHousecannotattesttotheaccuracyofthisinforma- tion.Useofaterminthisbookshouldnotberegardedasaffectingthevalidityofanytrade- markorservicemark. InternationalStandardBookNumber:1-58053-892-4 10987654321 TLFeBOOK Contents Foreword ix Preface xi OrganizationofThisBook xii Acknowledgments xv CHAPTER 1 Overview of Broadband Amplifiers 1 1.1 HistoricalPerspectiveonMicrowaveAmplifiers 1 1.2 BroadbandAmplifiers 3 1.3 ReviewofVariousBroadbandAmplifiers 3 1.3.1 ReactivelyMatchedAmplifiers 4 1.3.2 TWDAs 5 1.3.3 BroadbandFeedbackandLossyMatchedAmplifiers 8 1.3.4 CSSDAs 10 References 14 CHAPTER 2 Principles and Applications of Distributed Amplifiers 17 2.1 Introduction 17 2.2 HeterojunctionFieldEffectTransistor 17 2.3 ConventionalTWDA 20 2.3.1 AvailableGainofaTWDA 21 2.3.2 AdvantagesofTWDA 26 2.3.3 DisadvantagesofTWDA 27 2.4 CSSDA 27 2.4.1 LosslessCSSDA 28 2.4.2 AvailablePowerGainoftheLosslessCSSDA 29 2.4.3 AnalysisofInterstageCharacteristicImpedanceonthe LosslessCSSDA 32 2.4.4 OutputCurrentoftheCSSDA 33 2.4.5 OutputVoltageoftheCSSDA 35 2.4.6 LossyCSSDAs 36 2.4.7 CharacteristicFeaturesofCSSDA 38 v TLFeBOOK vi Contents 2.5 OtherApplicationsofDistributedAmplifiers 41 2.5.1 ApplicationsofTWDA 41 2.6 PotentialApplicationsofCSSDA 48 2.6.1 Oscillator 48 2.6.2 OpticalDriver 48 2.6.3 OpticalReceiver 48 References 50 CHAPTER 3 Device Structure and Mode of Operation 51 3.1 Introduction 51 3.2 TheGaAsMESFET—StructureandOperation 51 3.3 HEMT-basedDevices—StructureandOperation 54 3.3.1 HEMT 54 3.3.2 SPHEMT 56 3.3.3 DPHEMT 58 3.4 Summary 61 References 61 CHAPTER 4 Device Characterization and Modeling 63 4.1 Introduction 63 4.2 DeviceCharacterization 63 4.2.1 BasisofCalibration 64 4.2.2 MicrostripTestFixtureandCalibrationStandards 65 4.2.3 Small-SignalMeasurements 68 4.2.4 PulseddcI–VMeasurements 74 4.3 Small-SignalDeviceModeling 81 4.3.1 PrincipleofModelExtractionProcedure 82 4.3.2 ExtractionofColdComponentValues 83 4.3.3 ExtractionofHotComponentsValues 85 4.3.4 Small-SignalModeling 86 4.4 Large-SignalDeviceModeling 90 4.4.1 Large-SignalDeviceModel 91 4.4.2 NonlinearAnalysisTechniques 91 4.4.3 Large-SignalModelingTechniques 93 4.4.4 ModeledandMeasuredResults 98 References 100 CHAPTER 5 Amplifier Class of Operation 103 5.1 Introduction 103 5.2 ClassAAmplifiers 103 TLFeBOOK Contents vii 5.3 ClassBAmplifiers 109 5.4 ClassABAmplifiers 113 References 117 CHAPTER 6 Design of Broadband Microwave Amplifiers 119 6.1 Introduction 119 6.2 MultistageBroadbandAmplifierDesign 120 6.3 OutputPowerandPower-AddedEfficiency 121 6.4 DesignofTWDAs 123 6.4.1 FabricationofTWDAs 128 6.4.2 MeasuredResponseofTWDAs 128 6.5 BroadbandFeedbackAmplifiers 130 6.5.1 PrinciplesofBroadbandFeedbackAmplifiers 130 6.5.2 DesignofaThree-StageFeedbackAmplifier 136 6.5.3 FabricationofThree-StageFeedbackAmplifier 140 6.5.4 MeasuredResponseofThree-StageFeedbackAmplifier 140 6.6 CRTSSDAs 142 6.6.1 PrinciplesofCRTSSDAs 142 6.6.2 DesignofHighGainCRTSSDA 147 6.6.3 DesignofPowerCRTSSDA 154 6.6.4 FabricationofHighGainandPowerCRTSSDAModules 156 6.6.5 MeasuredResultsofCRTSSDAModules 158 6.7 High-Dynamic-RangeBroadbandAmplifier 162 6.7.1 DesignofHigh-Dynamic-RangeBroadbandAmplifier 162 6.7.2 FabricationoftheHigh-Dynamic-RangeBroadband Amplifier 166 6.7.3 MeasuredResponseofHigh-Dynamic-RangeBroadband Amplifier 167 6.8 BroadbandFeedbackAmplifiersEmployingCurrentSharing 167 6.8.1 DesignofBroadbandFeedbackAmplifiersEmploying CurrentSharing 167 6.8.2 FabricationofAmplifiersUsingSelf-BiasandCurrent-Sharing Modes 169 6.8.3 MeasuredResultsofBroadbandFeedbackAmplifiersUsing Self-BiasandCurrent-SharingModes 170 References 175 CHAPTER 7 Fabrication of Broadband Amplifiers 177 7.1 Introduction 177 7.2 PracticalDesignConsiderationsandFabricationProcedure 177 7.2.1 Skin-DepthEffect 179 TLFeBOOK viii Contents 7.2.2 Thin-FilmResistors 179 7.2.3 MountingPosts 180 7.2.4 BroadbandChipCapacitors 182 7.2.5 BroadbandRFChokes 185 7.2.6 Bond-WireInductance 187 7.2.7 dcBiasing 189 7.2.8 SubstrateMaterial 190 7.3 CircuitLayoutandMaskGeneration 191 7.3.1 FabricationofMICs 191 7.4 FabricationofTestCarriersandAmplifierHousings 195 References 198 CHAPTER 8 Ultrabroadband Hybrid and Broadband Monolithic Amplifiers 199 8.1 Introduction 199 8.2 UltrabroadbandHybridMICAmplifier 199 8.3 UltrabroadbandHybridAmplifierasDataModulatorDriver 201 8.3.1 DriverAmplifierforOpticalTransmitter 201 8.3.2 AmplifierRequirements 202 8.3.3 AmplifierDesign 202 8.3.4 AmplifierPerformance 203 8.4 BroadbandMMICDistributedAmplifier 205 References 208 APPENDIX A Artificial Transmission Line Theory Related to Distributed Amplifiers 209 A.1 ArtificialTransmissionLine 209 A.2 LadderNetwork 209 A.3 CharacteristicImpedanceZ 211 o A.4 T-Section 212 A.5 π-Section 212 A.6 L-Section 213 Reference 214 List of Acronyms 215 List of Symbols 217 About the Authors 221 Index 223 TLFeBOOK Foreword Broadband microwave amplifiers are one of the key components that are employed in electronic warfare, radar, high-data-rate fiber-optic communication, and broadband instrumentation systems. The authors come from different back- grounds—industry and academia—with extensive experience in designing broad- band amplifiers, as well as other microwave components and systems. They have pooledtheirknowledgeandexpertisetoprovideacomprehensivebookthatserves asanintroductiontothetheory,analysis,anddesignofthisgenreofamplifiersvia several examples that were actually realized and characterized. This includes a step-by-step methodology from the characterization and modeling of the active devicestothedesignandmanufactureofamplifiers.Thisbookshouldbeaninvalu- able resource to both new and experienced practitioners involved in the design of suchamplifiersorthesystemsthatemploythem. ProfessorJ.D.RhodesCBEFRSFREngFIEEFIEEE ExecutiveChairmanofFiltronicPLC ix TLFeBOOK