Pushing Power Amplifiers into the V Band with III-V Materials
Case Studies
This case study details the development of high-performance millimeter-wave (mmWave) RF driver amplifiers by III-V Lab, leveraging advanced III-V semiconductor materials and innovative packaging techniques. The SMART3 project focused on creating gallium nitride (GaN) High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) for Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) power amplifiers operating in the V band (55–68 GHz). The team addressed critical challenges in co-designing MMICs and their packages to optimize real-world performance, including minimizing parasitic effects and improving thermal management.
Key solutions included the use of an Indium Aluminum Nitride (InAlN) barrier layer for enhanced polarization and reduced strain, and the adoption of flip chip mounting within Fan-Out Wafer Level Packaging (FOWLP) to efficiently dissipate heat and optimize grounding. The integration of foundry Pprocess Design Kits (PDK) and packaging layers enabled accurate end-to-end simulations, resulting in RF transitions with losses below 0.6 dB up to 65 GHz, and amplifiers achieving over 20 dB gain and 27–30 dBm output power.
The project demonstrated a strong match between simulated and measured results, validating the effectiveness of the co-design approach and advanced simulation workflows. The experience gained in FOWLP technology and electromagnetic simulation is expected to drive further innovations, with potential for even lower losses at higher frequencies in future designs.