Characterization of GaN-based Low Noise Amplifiers at Cryogenic Temperatures

In this paper, we present the first characterization of GaN-based Low-Noise Amplifiers (LNAs) at cryogenic temperatures for prospective use in radio-astronomy receivers. Both commercial and prototype LNAs fabricated in-house demonstrate a nine-fold improvement of their room-temperature noise performance when cooled to about 10 K. Very promising noise temperatures of about 8 K were measured without any specific optimization of the LNA design for cryogenic operation.