C-band 10 W MMIC class-A amplifier manufactured using the refractory SAG process

The authors describe the design, fabrication, and test results of a C-band single-chip GaAs monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) class-A amplifier manufactured using a multifunctional self-aligned gate (MSAG) process. The amplifier demonstrates a 10-W power output (0.625 W/mm power density) at 5.5 GHz with an associated gain of 5 dB and a power-added efficiency of 36%. The average functional yield of the IC is above 70%. This excellent performance is attributed to an accurate model for 4-mm FETs, the IC design method used, simple circuit topology, and high-yield, high-performance MSAG processing.>