A Ka-Band MMIC LNA in GaN-on-Si 100-nm Technology for High Dynamic Range Radar Receivers

A Ka-band monolithic low-noise amplifier (LNA) with high gain and high dynamic range (DR) has been designed and implemented in a 100-nm gallium nitride (GaN)-on-Si technology. The LNA is designed as the first stage of a high DR receiver in an frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar for the detection of small drones. The three-stage monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) LNA has a linear gain of 26 dB and a noise figure (NF) of 2 dB in the frequency band 33-38 GHz. The output 1-dB compression point (P1dB) and output IP3 at 37 GHz are 20 and 28.4 dBm, respectively. To our knowledge, this combination of NF, gain, and DR performance represents the state of art in this frequency band.