A SiGe Ka-band cryogenic low-noise amplifier

The design and characterization of a cryogenic silicon germanium integrated circuit amplifier operating at a center frequency of 22 GHz is presented. The packaged amplifier is measured at 15 K and achieves a gain of 25 dB and a noise temperature below 35 K, which is consistent with simulated performance. It is believed that this is the first reporting of a cryogenic silicon germanium low-noise amplifier operating above 10GHz and that the measured results represent the lowest reported noise temperature for any silicon based low-noise amplifier operating at these frequencies.