A V-band low-noise amplifier co-designed with ESD network in 65-nm RF CMOS

A V-band low-noise amplifier (LNA) with electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection using RF junction varactors is demonstrated in a 65-nm CMOS technology. The gate-source junction varactor is used to achieve a power-constrained simultaneous noise and input matching, and also as an auxiliary ESD protection for the NS and ND modes. The measured results shows an over 2.0-kV ESD protection in the PD and PS modes, whereas the ESD level is enhanced up to 4.0 kV in the NS and ND modes. Under a power consumption of only 14.1 mW, the LNA demonstrates a noise figure (NF) of 5.2 dB and a peak power gain of 10.9 dB at 51 GHz, only a 0.8-dB degradation for both NF and power gain compared with the reference design (LNA without ESD protection). (C) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 54:820-822, 2012; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.26623