A 6.3 dBm 258-314 GHz Power Amplifier using a Broadband 8-way SQWL Power Combiner in 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS Technology

In this paper, a 258-314 GHz power amplifier fabricated in a 130nm SiGe BiCMOS technology with f(t)/f(max)=350/450 GHz is presented. The PA employs 4 cascode amplification stages and the inductance gain-boosting method. A broadband 8-way subquarter-wavelength power combiner with compensated stepped-impedance transmission lines (TLs) is proposed to achieve wideband matching and power combining simultaneously. The circuit exhibits a peak gain of 15 dB with 56 GHz 3 -dB bandwidth. The maximum output power and OP-1dB are 63 dBm and 4.5 dBm at 270 GHz. It consumes 506 mW DC power and realizes a maximum PAE of 0.8%. The bandwidth and output power of this PA have both reached the leading level in 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS with f(max) less than 500 GHz.