High gain 220GHz power amplifier MMICs with minimal footprint

Two power amplifier MMICs, designed for minimal footprint, and a low insertion loss microstrip to waveguide transition are presented at 220GHz. The two-stage power amplifier ((260×1120)µm2) exhibits 13.5mW of output power and 13.3dB of gain at 207GHz. The four-stage power amplifier, designed in a (260×2085)µm2 area, provides an output power higher than 15mW associated with 19.8dB of gain up to 220.5GHz, with a peak output power of 28mW measured at 211.5GHz. The microstrip to waveguide transition was designed to fit within a width of 280µm, in order to limit the excitation of unwanted substrate modes. These three devices were designed for integration on a single, rectangular chip transmitter.