12W, 30% PAE, 40GHz Power Amplifier MMIC Using a Commercially Available GaN/Si Process

This paper presents the design and test results of a 40 GHz power amplifier MMIC fabricated with a Gallium Nitride on Silicon (GaN/Si) millimeter wave foundry process. This circuit presents at 40 GHz a gain in excess of 20 dB, an output power of 14 W at 4.5dB compression, with a power added efficiency of 30%. The 10 W targeted output power is reached with a total dissipated power density of only 3.2 W/mm at transistor level, enabling an easy thermal management of the final product.