A 0.1a5 GHz Cryogenic SiGe MMIC LNA

• Published in: IEEE microwave and wireless components letters Vol. 19; no. 6
• Main Authors: Bardin, J C, Weinreb, S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.01.2009
• Subjects: Amplification; Gain; Integrated circuits; Microwaves; Noise levels; Noise temperature; Silicon germanides; Wideband
• DOI: 10.1109/LMWC.2009.2020041
• ISSN: 1531-1309

In this letter, the design and measurement of the first SiGe integrated-circuit LNA specifically designed for operation at cryogenic temperatures is presented. At room temperature, the circuit provides greater than 25.8 dB of gain with an average noise temperature (T sub(e)) of 76 K (NF = 1 dB) and S sub(11) of -9 dB for frequencies in the 0.1-5 GHz band. At 15 K, the amplifier has greater than 29.6 dB of gain with an average T sub(e) of 4.3 K and S sub(11) of -14.6 dB for frequencies in the 0.1-5 GHz range. To the authors' knowledge, this is the lowest noise ever reported for a silicon integrated circuit operating in the low microwave range and the first matched wideband cryogenic integrated circuit LNA that covers frequencies as low as 0.1 GHz.