Methodologies for Design of Millimeter-Wave and Terahertz Integrated Circuits: An LNA Case Study

Abstract

The process of research and design of circuits for operation in the millimeter-wave and terahertz (THz) regimes is often considered more of an art than a structured approach. In this paper, key considerations in the design of millimeter-wave and THz integrated circuits are identified, which allow methodologies for the design of any of the key millimeter-wave and THz transceiver subsystems to be developed, thereby introducing a structured methodology that can be used in both research (academia) and design (industry). Furthermore, in a case study, a step-by-step design methodology for cascode low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) is derived. This case study provides an example to be followed in order to adapt the methodology to other LNA configurations, as well as to any other subsystems in millimeter-wave and THz transceivers.