A 0.6-V VDD, 3.8-dB Minimum Noise Figure, 19.5-62.5-GHz Low Noise Amplifier in 28-nm Bulk CMOS

This paper presents a millimeter-wave (mmWave) ultra-wideband low-power low noise amplifier (LNA) that supports the entire 5G FR2 (24.25-52.6 GHz) and beyond. An auxiliary amplifier is exploited to extend the bandwidth with the required input return loss (S-11) and high matching gain for suppressing noise of subsequent stages. In addition, gain peaking at the low/mid band (< 30/30-45 GHz) and impedance matching at the high band (> 45 GHz) are used jointly to increase the operating frequency range. Furthermore, large-valued inductors with high self-resonant frequencies (SRFs) are achieved through a cascode spiral structure. This LNA is fabricated in a 28-nm bulk CMOS technology. At a 0.6-V supply voltage (V-DD) applied on the main stages, this LNA achieves an 18.4-dB flat power gain, a 3.8-5.7-dB noise figure (NF), and a < -6-dB S-11 over 19.5-62.5 GHz (BW3dB) while consuming 13.7 mW. This LNA occupies 0.25 mm(2) and features ESD protection.

Automated summary

This paper introduces a millimeter-wave ultra-wideband low-power low noise amplifier that supports the entire 5G FR2 and higher frequency bands. It utilizes auxiliary amplifiers, gain peaking, impedance matching, and a cascode spiral structure to achieve high performance in a 28-nm CMOS technology.