• Electronics and Telecommunications Trends
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.11-21
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• 2022

GaN (Gallium-Nitride) is a promising candidate material in various radio frequency applications due to its inherent properties including wide bandgap, high carrier concentration, and high electron mobility/saturation velocity. Notably, AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field effect transistor exhibits high operating voltage and high power-density/power at high frequency. In next-generation radar systems, GaN power transistors and monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) are significant components of transmitting and receiving modules. In this paper, we introduce technological trends for C-/X-/Ku-band GaN MMICs including power amplifiers, low noise amplifiers and switch MMICs, focusing on the status of GaN MMIC fabrication technology and GaN foundry service. Additionally, we review the research for the localization of C-/X-/Ku-band GaN MMICs using in-house GaN transistor and MMIC fabrication technology. We also discuss the results of C-/X-/Ku-band GaN MMICs developed at Defense Materials and Components Convergence Research Department in ETRI.

• Journal of electromagnetic engineering and science
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.101-107
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• 2018

The impedance bandwidth and radiation characteristics of an aperture-coupled microstrip line-fed patch antenna (ACMPA) with a high permittivity (${\varepsilon}_r=10$) feed substrate suitable for integration with a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) are investigated for various feed substrate thicknesses through an experiment and computer simulation. The impedance bandwidth of an ACMPA with a high permittivity feed substrate increases as the feed substrate thickness decreases. Furthermore, the front-to-back ratio of an ACMPA with a high permittivity feed substrate increases and the cross-polarization level decreases as the feed substrate thickness decreases. As the impedance bandwidth of an ACMPA with a high permittivity feed substrate increases and its radiation characteristics improve as the feed substrate thickness decreases, the ACMPA configuration becomes suitable for integration with an MMIC.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 1997.04a
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• pp.245-248
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• 1997

The dielectric resonators(DRs) with dielectric properties are widely used in microwave integrated circuit(MICs) and monolithic microwave integrated circuits(MMICS). The variational method as numerical simulation scheme would be applied to calculate the resonant frequencies(fr) and Q-factors of microwave dielectric resonators. The dielectric resonator with a cylindrical “puck” structure of high dielectric material is modeled in this simulation. The parameters, such as the diameter, the height, and the dielectric constant of dielectric resonator, would determine the resonant frequency and the Q-factor. The relationship between these parameters would effect each other to evaluate the approximate resonant frequency. This simulation method by the variational formula is very effective to calculate fr, and Q-factor. in high frequency microwave dielectric resonator The error rate of the simulation results and the measured results would be considered to design the microwave dielectric resonators.

• Journal of electromagnetic engineering and science
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.44-51
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• 2016

A commercial $0.25{\mu}m$ GaN process is used to implement 6-18 GHz wideband power amplifier (PA) monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs). GaN HEMTs are advantageous for enhancing RF power due to high breakdown voltages. However, the large-signal models provided by the foundry service cannot guarantee model accuracy up to frequencies close to their maximum oscillation frequency ($F_{max}$). Generally, the optimum output load point of a PA varies severely according to frequency, which creates difficulties in generating watt-level output power through the octave bandwidth. This study overcomes these issues by the development of in-house large-signal models that include a thermal model and by applying distributed L-C output load matching to reactive matched amplifiers. The proposed GaN PAs have successfully accomplished output power over 5 W through the octave bandwidth.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.247-253
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• 2009

We propose a Ku-band driver and high-power amplifier monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) employing a compensating gate bias circuit using a commercial 0.5 ${\mu}m$ GaAs pHEMT technology. The integrated gate bias circuit provides compensation for the threshold voltage and temperature variations as well as independence of the supply voltage variations. A fabricated two-stage Ku-band driver amplifier MMIC exhibits a typical output power of 30.5 dBm and power-added efficiency (PAE) of 37% over a 13.5 GHz to 15.0 GHz frequency band, while a fabricated three-stage Ku-band high-power amplifier MMIC exhibits a maximum saturated output power of 39.25 dBm (8.4 W) and PAE of 22.7% at 14.5 GHz.

• Journal of information and communication convergence engineering
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.129-132
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• 2003

In this paper, cobalt (Co)-electrode FBAR devices fabricated on seven-layered Bragg Reflectors are presented along with their resonance characteristics. ZnO films are used as the resonating material in FBAR devices where the Co electrode is 3000${\AA}$ thick. All processes are preformed in an RF magnetron sputtering system. As a result of characterization, the resonance characteristics are observed to depend strongly on the quality of ZnO film and Bragg Reflectors. In addition, the FBAR devices with W/$SiO_2$ reflectors show good resonance characteristics in term of return loss and quality-factor (Q-factor).

• ETRI Journal
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.307-314
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• 2004

The application of a discrete pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor (p-HEMT) as a grounded switch allows for the development of low cost phase shifters and phase modulators operating in a Ku band. This fills the gap in the development of phase control devices comprising p-i-n diodes and microwave monolithic integrated circuits (MMICs). This paper describes a discrete p-HEMT characterization and modeling in switching mode as well as the development of a low-cost four-bit phase shifter and direct quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulator. The developed devices operate in a Ku band with parameters comparable to commercially available MMIC counterparts. Both of them are CMOS compatible and have no power consumption. The parameters of the QPSK modulator are very close to the requirements of available standards for satellite earth stations.

• Journal of information and communication convergence engineering
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.149-152
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• 2004

In this paper, we present the film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) devices fabricated by considering the effects of annealing temperature on zinc oxide (ZnO) film growth characteristics. In order to determine the annealing temperature and annealing time at which the ZnO film can have good material properties, the several resonators containing ZnO layers were fabricated and annealed at various temperatures from $27^{\circ}C\;to\;300^{\circ}C$ in Ar gas ambient. The effects of the annealing temperature and annealing time on the ZnO film properties were comprehensively studied in order to further improve the resonance characteristics of FBAR resonators.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.294-301
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• 2000

One of the most important design parameters in a microwave radio transmitting system is to reduce spurious response from the output spectrum of the transmitting system. A Local oscillator (LO) is seldom totally pure and at the least contain some LO harmonic signals. A LO or any oscillator is a transmitter if provided with a suitable radiator, conduction, or leakage path. Where mixer is employed in the output of the LO mixer generated spurs can be increased by RF amplifier. To reduce LO leakage, notch filter or band pass filter has been conventionally used. In this paper, the leakage reduction(LR) signal, which has the same magnitude and the opposite phase with respect to LO leakage signal, is added to the output of mixer of the wireless LAN system. The LO leakage is reduced by 30 dB more than the conventional methods do. The proposed method is potentially suitable for low-cost, reliable, and simple application of monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs)

• Journal of Korea Society of Industrial Information Systems
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.48-53
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• 2001

A three-stage low noise amplifier(LNA) for the Base-station of the IMT-2000 is designed and implemented. In the first stage, a GaAs HJt-FET which has good noise characteristics is made use of. Monolithic microwave integrated circuits(MMICS) are used in the second and the third stage to achieve both the high gain and high output power. Although the balanced amplifier is used to reduce the input VSWR, it is done only in the first stage because we have to minimize the noise figure attributed to the phase difference of the balanced amplifier. It is shown that the implemented LNA has the gai over 39.74dB, the gain flatness less than ±0.4dB, the noise figure below 0.97dB, input and output VSWRs less than 1.2, and OIP₃(output third order intercept point) of 38.17dBm in the operating frequency range.