InP HBT Front-Ends for High Performance mm-Wave Phased Arrays

InP HBT front-ends provide improved RF performance over SiGe/Si amplifiers, particularly at higher frequencies, due to their higher cutoff frequencies and breakdown voltage. Teledyne’s InP HBT process also possesses a low-loss thin-film wiring environment well suited for the efficient and compact power amplifiers needed for phased arrays. This talk will provide an overview of TSC’s work developing mm-wave front-ends and packaging them for scalable phased arrays with examples of amplifiers and upconverting front-ends demonstrated in Teledyne’s InP HBT process.