Resumen:
This paper describes a method to design mmW PAs, by modeling the electromagnetic behavior of all the passive structures and the layout interconnections using a 3D-EM solver. It allows the optimization of the quality factor of capacitors (Q-factors > 20 can be obtained at 80 GHz), the access points and arrangement of the power transistor cells. The method is applied to the design and optimization of an E-Band PA implemented in a 55 nm SiGe BiCMOS technology. The PA presents a maximum power gain of 21.7 dB at 74 GHz, with a 3-dB bandwidth covering from 72.6 to 75.6 GHz. The maximum output P1dB is 13.8 dBm at 75 GHz and the peak PAE is 14.1%. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.