An inductor-based 52-GHz 0.18μm SiGe HBT cascode LNA with 22 dB gain

A 52-GHz two-stage cascode LNA implemented in a production 0.18 mum SiGe BiCMOS process is presented. By using inductors rather than transmission lines for matching, it occupies an area of only 200 mum x 250 mum. The circuit features standard 60 pm x 60 pm bond pads, on-chip bias network, and consumes 11.4 mA from a 3.3 V supply. The measured S-11 is lower than -12 dB from 35 GHz to 65 GHz and S-21 exceeds 22 dB. The gain remains above 18 dB when the supply voltage and power dissipation are reduced to 2.5 V and 19.5 in W respectively.