A 10 to 170 GHz distributed amplifier using 130-nm SiGe HBTs

This paper presents an ultra-broadband distributed amplifier (DA). The amplifying cell utilizes the three-level stacked transistor structure. Loss compensation techniques are used to broaden the operating bandwidth with layout considerations. 130 nm SiGe HBTs are used to fabricate the proposed design, the total chip area occupied is 1.3mm×0.7mm including the bonding pads. With on-chip RF choking inductors and DC blocking capacitors, the designed DA achieves a band width of 10 to 170 GHz, with the average gain of 19 dB. The total power consumption of the DA is 560 mW with a power supply voltage of 4.5 V.