WIN Semiconductors Corp. announced the commercial release of its next-generation integrated mmWave GaAs platform, PQG3-0C. Targeting mmWave front-ends, the PQG3-0C technology combines individually optimized E-mode low noise and D-mode power pHEMTs to enable best-in-class power amplifier and low noise amplifier performance on the same chip. The E-mode/D-mode pHEMTs have ƒt of 110 GHz and 90 GHz respectively, and both employ 0.15 µm T-shaped gates fabricated by deep ultraviolet stepper technology. Deep ultraviolet photolithography is a proven, high volume manufacturing technique for short gate length devices and eliminates the throughput constraints of traditional electron-beam patterning. Offering two application-specific mmWave transistors with RF switches and ESD protection diodes, PQG3-0C supports a wide range of front-end functions with increased on-chip functionality.
 
Both E-mode and D-mode transistors can be used for mmWave amplification and operate at 4 V. The D-mode pHEMT targets power amplifiers and provides over 0.6 W/mm with 11 dB linear gain and close to 50 percent power-added efficiency when measured at 29 GHz. The E-mode pHEMT operates best as a single supply LNA and delivers minimum noise figure below 0.7 dB at 30 GHz with 8 dB associated gain, and third order output intercept (OIP3) of 26 dBm.
 
The PQG3-0C platform is manufactured on 150 mm GaAs substrates and provides two interconnect metal layers with low-k dielectric crossovers, PN-junction diodes for compact ESD protection circuits, and RF switch transistors. With a final chip thickness of 100 µm, a backside ground plane with through-wafer-vias are standard and can be configured as through-chip RF transitions to eliminate the adverse impact of bond wires at mmWave frequencies. PQG3-0C also supports flip-chip packaging and can be delivered with Cu-pillar bumps fabricated in WIN’s internal bumping line. 
 
WIN Semiconductors Corp. will be showcasing its compound semiconductor RF and mmWave solutions in booth #235 at IMS2023.