A 241-GHz-Bandwidth Distributed Amplifier with 10-dBm P1dB in 0.25-µm InP DHBT Technology

A distributed amplifier in indium phosphide (InP) double-heterojunction bipolar transistor (DHBT) technology was designed and fabricated. A new peaking method using a transmission line in a cascode stage is proposed to extend the bandwidth. The fabricated amplifier achieves bandwidth of 241 GHz, which is the widest bandwidth reported for any technology to the best of the authors’ knowledge. The amplifier also achieved a 1-dB compression point (P1dB) of 10 dBm at output power, which is the highest among amplifiers with bandwidths over 160 GHz.