30 GHz RF-MEMS Dicke Switch Network and a Wideband LNA in a 0.25 µm SiGe BiCMOS Technology

This work presents a novel monolithic integration of a 30 GHz RF-MEMS Dicke switch network and a wideband LNA realised in a 0.25 μm SiGe BiCMOS process. The wideband LNA design has a measured gain of 10-19.9 dB at 2-33 GHz given a DC power consumption (PDC) of 35 mW and a measured noise figure of 5.4-6.3 dB at 14-26.5 GHz when PDC=7.5 mW (the LNA gain is then 10-14.2 dB at 4-26 GHz). The Dicke switch has 3 dB and 22 dB of losses and isolation at 25 GHz. The MEMS switched LNA gain was found to be 10-17 dB lower than anticipated due to some unintentionally missing metal via contacts between the Dicke switch and LNA ground planes. Despite this fact, the MEMS LNA resulted in a measured isolation of 9.0-13.5 dB at 24-31 GHz when the Dicke switch was switched ON and OFF which validates the switching function of the SiGe RF-MEMS wideband LNA design. Such reconfigurable low-power MEMS switched RFICs could be used in highly adaptive broadband receiver front-ends for wireless communication, sensor networks and imaging systems, for example.