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Tech 55 (2007), 1756–1763.

2. C.-H. Wu, C.-H. Wang, and C.-H. Chen, Stopband-extended bal-
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line bandpass filters with common-mode noise suppression, IEEE
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of L4 and L5 wave Theory Tech 28 (1980), 1413–1417.

corresponding resonant magnetic current not only does not change
polarities but also is maximum around the center of the DM half
SISLR. Hence, couplings between the U-shaped coupling micro-
strip section and the slot-line resonator at different positions will
be constructive. By contrast, the third (fifth) mode of the DM half
SISLR is associated with a three-half-wavelength (five-half-wave-
length) resonance, whose resonant magnetic current changes polar-
ities somewhere. As long as the portion of the magnetic current
adjacent to the U-shaped coupling microstrip section changes
polarities, destructive coupling may occur and cause poor signal
transmission (or cause large suppression to signal transmission).
Alternatively, the poor signal transmission for higher-order modes
can also be regarded as pertaining to impedance mismatching
between the feeding lines and the slot-line resonators.
How well the signal is transmitted will then be affected by
the values of L4 and L5 more for the third and fifth modes than
for the first mode. Observe that if L4 5 L5 5 4 (2.9) mm is cho-
sen, the third (fifth) mode will be suppressed such that the cor-
responding jSdd21 j is less than 220 dB. To achieve a much wider
upper stopband, we hence choose L4 5 2.9 mm and L5 5 4 mm.
The resulting measured (simulated) upper DM stopband with the
jSdd
21 j  220 dB criterion can extend up to 21.05 (21.18) GHz,
which is 5.93 (5.97) times the DM passband center frequency.
C 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
V
X-BAND MMIC GaN POWER AMPLIFIER
FOR SAR SYSTEMS
Rocco Giofre, Paolo Colantonio, and Franco Giannini
Electronics Engineering Department, University of Roma “Tor
Vergata,” via Del Politecnico n.1, 00133 Roma, Italy; Corresponding
author: giofr@ing.uniroma2.it
Received 6 March 2013
ABSTRACT: This contribution describes the design, realization, and
test of a compact X-band GaN MMIC high power amplifier (HPA) for
synthetic aperture radar. The HPA represents the first step toward the
realization of a fully integrated GaN transmitter/receiver (Tx/Rx) for X-
band applications. The circuit is designed in a two stage configuration
and it is fully matched to 50 X input and output impedance. The chip
area is less than 10 mm. Experimental results show an output power
close to 42 dBm with a gain of 16 dB (at 3 dB of compression) and a
ripple lower than 0.5 dB from 8.6 to 10.6 GHz frequency range. V C 2013
Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 55:2611–2616,
2013; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/
mop.27852

4. CONCLUSION Key words: GaN; MMIC; power amplifier; synthetic aperture radar
A new balanced BPF using SISLR has been proposed, designed, systems
and implemented. To obtain the desired DM response and CM
suppression for WiMax applications, the SISLR has been prop- 1. INTRODUCTION
erly designed to have distinct DM and CM resonant features. The development of compact high power amplifiers (HPAs) is a
The BPF performs well with a measured minimum DM insertion key topic in many applications such as radar transmitters, satel-
loss of only 1.13 dB in the DM passband and with a measured lite systems, and military equipment. Simultaneously, the devel-
CM suppression of larger than 55.76 dB in the same frequency opment of GaN active devices, with their inherent properties,
range. In particular, the measured upper-edge frequency of the that is, the capabilities to simultaneously provide high-power
upper DM stopband is as high as 21.05 GHz, and the CM sup- density, efficiency, and wideband capability, allows the
pression of larger than 26.5 dB extends up to 22 GHz.
TABLE 1 HPA Specifics
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This work was supported by the National Science Council of Parameter Value Unit
Taiwan (The Republic of China) under Grant NSC 100–2221-E- Frequency Band 8.6–10.6 GHz
018-030-MY2. Input Return Loss >10 dB
Linear Gain >17 dB
REFERENCES Output Pout @ 3dBc 41 dBm
PAE @3dBc >40 %
1. C.-H. Wu, C.-H. Wang, and C.-H. Chen, Balanced coupled-resonator
2nd Harmonic Rejection >30 dBc
bandpass filters using multisection resonators for common-mode sup-

DOI 10.1002/mop MICROWAVE AND OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY LETTERS / Vol. 55, No. 11, November 2013 2611

Figure 1 HPA topological structure
possibility to realize very compact and efficient transmitter
modules [1,2]. These characteristics are essential, for example,
in the realization of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems,
which are based on several hundreds of transmitter modules.
Thus, a higher degree of compactness, reliability, and repeatabil-
ity can lead to lower cost, smaller size, and more efficient
antennas.
There are many research efforts devoted to investigate the
possibility to realize monolithic (MMIC) HPA based on GaN
technology [3–10]. GaN devices have very high drain-to-source
breakdown voltage, resulting in broadband capabilities, as the
higher device’s optimum impedance makes the transformation
ratio to 50 X much easier. Moreover, the use of higher drain
bias voltage can lead to more efficient DC–DC converter at the
satellite level. Furthermore, the higher sustainable junction tem-
perature with respect to the GaAs active devices allows a more
compact and reliable HPA [11,12].
The HPA reported here has been developed by using a
0.5 lm GaN HEMT process under development at SELEX-ES

Figure 2 CAD schematic of the output combiner

2612 MICROWAVE AND OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY LETTERS / Vol. 55, No. 11, November 2013 DOI 10.1002/mop
 Figure 3 CAD schematic of the interstage network
(Italy) featured by 5 W/mm power density at 20 V drain bias.
In a chip area of 3.7 3 2.5 mm2 (9.25 mm), a fully matched
50 X input and output impedance has been reached from 8.6 to
10.6 GHz, without any external elements. The amplifier imple-
ments also the possibility to single-side bias despite of the pres-
ence of multiple active devices. At the nominal bias point, the
HPA reaches an output power close to 42 dBm with a gain of
16 dB (at 3 dB of compression) and a ripple lower than 0.5 dB
in the whole frequency band.
2. HPA STRUCTURE
The typical HPA requirement for the X-band is summarized in
Table 1. As can be noted, in the frequency band from 8.6 to
10.6 GHz, the required saturated output power is 41 dBm with a
linear gain of 17 dB and a power added efficiency (PAE) higher
than 40%. Moreover, a second-harmonic rejection of at least 30
dBc is required with an input return loss better than 10 dB.
Referring to the parameter reported in Table 1, and account-
ing for the technology data, the first step of the HPA design
was related to the power budget analysis. The aim was to iden-
tify the best topological structure in terms of number of stages,
active device periphery, and bias point for each stage. In this
phase, a tradeoff was required to properly balance the con-
DOI 10.1002/mop MICROWAVE AND OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY LETTERS / Vol. 55, No. 11, November 2013
straints represented by the limited active device peripheries and
related nonlinear models availability, and the necessity to reach
the targeted performances.
Being 5 W/mm, the power density of the technology experi-
mentally proved at 10 GHz, to achieve the desired 41 dBm out-
put power, at least 2.5 mm of active gate periphery was
necessary in the final stage. Thus, to obtain a symmetrical struc-
ture, this active periphery should be divided among an even
number of transistors. Moreover, considering also the available
active devices equipped with nonlinear model, the best solution
was represented by the use of four transistors with an active
periphery of 10 3 100 lm each.
Then, accounting for the maximum available gain (MAG) of
the single active device (12 dB measured at 10.6 GHz), a two
stages approach was required to fulfill the 17 dB of gain.
Finally, the gain and output power levels of the final stage were
considered to evaluate the active periphery necessary in the first
(driver) stage. As a result, a single device (10 3 100 lm gate
periphery) was sufficient to guarantee the correct power driving
for the overall final stage. The resulting HPA topological struc-
ture is reported in Figure 1.
Once the topological structure was fixed, the complete HPA
was designed. Initially, a stabilization network for each active
device was designed with the aim to reach an unconditional
2613
 Figure 4 CAD schematic of input matching network

stability condition at all frequencies (in- and out-side the band-
width) together with a flat MAG behavior in the operating fre-
quency band. Starting from the gate of the active device, the
stabilization network was composed by a shunt capacitor (1 pF)
followed by a parallel resistor (90 X) and capacitor (0.9 pF)
group, in series to the gate.
Concerning the output combiner network (see Fig. 1), it was
designed with the aim to fulfill the optimum output load at the
intrinsic current source of each active device. Considering the
frequency band and the level of power handled by this network,
a distributed approach with the integration of two capacitors
was adopted. The CAD schematic of the resulting output match-
ing network is reported in Figure 2. In this structure, also the
feeding path for the device biasing was considered.
Then, the interstage network was designed. In this case, the
network should be able to split the output power supplied by
the active device in the first stage to the four devices in the
last stage. In terms of matching, it was required to transform
the input impedance of each active device in the last stage, in
the optimum output load of the device in the first stage. At the
same time, the interstage network should also guarantee
the gate and drain bias feed for the last and first stage,
respectively. The CAD schematic of such network is depicted
in Figure 3.

2614 MICROWAVE AND OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY LETTERS / Vol. 55, No. 11, November 2013 DOI 10.1002/mop

Figure 5 Photo of the realized HPA. [Color figure can be viewed in
the online issue, which is available at wileyonlinelibrary.com]
The last step was related to the design of the input matching
network of the first stage. In this case, the aim was to transform the
input impedance of the active device to 50 X. Also in this case, a
distributed approach with a DC-block capacitor was adopted. The
CAD schematic of such network is depicted in Figure 4.
At the end of the layout process, the MMIC was tested
against potential instabilities under large-signal regime imple-
menting the approach reported in Ref. 13. From the simulation
results, no additional resistors were required to assure the
unconditional stability under large signal.
The photo of the realized HPA is reported in Figure 5. The
chip area is 9.25 mm (3.7 3 2.5 mm2). As it can be noted, the
HPA was designed implementing the facility of a single-side
bias. In fact, even if the amplifier is symmetrical along the
x-axis, the position of the DC-blocks (highlighted in green boxes
in Fig. 5) between the two stages and the upper and lower DC-
bias pads, was studied to allow this feature. Thus, this HPA
could be used applying the DC bias voltages only at the upper
or lower pads leaving the others floating. Such characteristic
could be very useful to reduce the number of bias lines, obtain-
ing a more compact structure.
Figure 6 Simulated scattering parameters. [Color figure can be viewed
in the online issue, which is available at wileyonlinelibrary.com]
DOI 10.1002/mop MICROWAVE AND OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY LETTERS / Vol. 55, No. 11, November 2013
Figure 7 HPA power performances vs. input power at 9.6 GHz.
[Color figure can be viewed in the online issue, which is available at
wileyonlinelibrary.com]
Finally, to further reduce the dimension of the chip (y-axis),
the layout of the active devices in the last stage was rearranged
sharing the via-hole between two devices.
3. HPA PERFORMANCES
The realized MMIC was tested in pulse condition (width 5
20 ls and 1% duty) at the nominal bias point given by
VDD,1 5 VDD,2 5 25 V, VGG,1 5 VGG,2 5 21.4 V, with a corre-
sponding quiescent current ID 5 650 mA, including 130 mA for
the first stage and 520 mA for the last stage.
The behaviors of the simulated scattering parameters vs. fre-
quency are shown in Figure 6. As can be noted, the small signal
gain is around 18.5 dB, whereas input and output return losses
are better than 10 dB from 7.5 to 11.2 GHz.
Figure 7 reports the comparison between the simulated and
measured power performances as a function of input power at 9.6
GHz. As it can be noted, the HPA reaches an output power around
42 dBm with an associated power gain of 16 dB at roughly 3 dB
of gain compression. The measured PAE is around 33%.
In Figure 8, the comparison between the simulated and meas-
ured power performances is done as a function of frequency and
for a constant input power of 26 dBm. As it can be noted, the
Figure 8 HPA power performances vs. frequency for a constant input
power of 26 dBm. [Color figure can be viewed in the online issue,
which is available at wileyonlinelibrary.com]
2615

Figure 9 Power performances vs. input power of the best, medium,
and worst chip at 9.6 GHz. [Color figure can be viewed in the online
issue, which is available at wileyonlinelibrary.com]
output power is constant and around 42 dBm in the whole fre-
quency band. The associated power gain is 16 dB with a ripple
lower than 0.5 dB. The measured PAE remains higher than 33%
in the overall bandwidth.
To evaluate the yield of the MMIC process and the design
robustness in Figure 9 are reported the power performances of
the best, medium, and worst chip at 9.6 GHz. As can be seen,
the measured performances are almost the same for the overall
realized chips.
4. CONCLUSION
In this contribution, a compact X-band GaN MMIC HPA using
a 0.5 lm GaN HEMT process under development at SELEX-ES
was reported. The amplifier was designed taking into account
the requirements of future generation X-band space-borne SAR.
Experimental results have shown an output power closed to 42
dBm with a gain around 16 dB and a ripple lower than 0.5 dB
from 8.6 to 10.6 GHz frequency range. The registered perform-
ances represent a promising result for an application of this
technology in medium-term developments.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This work has been done with the sponsorship of the Italian
Space Agency. Authors would like to thank Dr. Claudio Lan-
zieri and Dr. Antonio Nanni from Selex-ES for providing the
experimental test.
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C 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
V
A LOW POWER TRIPLE-MODE
PARALLEL-PROCESSING CMOS
RECEIVER FOR BD-II/GPS/GALILEO
JOINT NAVIGATION APPLICATIONS
Hou Zhongyuan,1 Wang Chuan,2 Liu Junhua,2 Liao Huailin,2
and Zhang Xing2
1
Peking University Shen Zhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055,
China
2
Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Corresponding author:
junhua.liu@pku.edu.cn
Received 6 March 2013
ABSTRACT: This article presents a low power triple-mode parallel-
processing CMOS receiver for BD-II/GPS/Galileo joint navigation appli-
cations. An innovative image rejecting parallel-processing architecture
is proposed, which utilizes a single frequency synthesizer, shares the
front-end, and adopts two complex band-pass filters in two channels sep-
arately, aiming for the receiving of BD-II B1/GPS L1/GALILEO L1 mul-
tistandard navigation signals simultaneously. The proposed triple-mode
parallel-processing receiver is fabricated in a 0.18 lm CMOS process
with 22.2 mA power consumption under the triple-mode parallel-proc-
essing navigation. Measured results show that it has a maximum conver-
sion gain of 101.5 dB and a double-side-band noise figure of 3.3 dB
with the fixed IF of 7*f0 (f0 5 1.023 MHz), tunable IF bandwidth of
2*f0/4*f0, and more than 34 dB image rejection. V C 2013 Wiley Periodi-
cals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 55:2616–2620, 2013; View this
article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.27851
Key words: multimode; BD-II; GPS; Galileo; joint navigation
1. INTRODUCTION
Global navigation satellite system (GNSS) plays a critical role
in positioning and navigation applications, which has been
DOI 10.1002/mop