A $X-/K_{\mathrm{u}}$-Band QFN-Packaged GaAs LNA Supporting Dual-Polarization Signal Reception

A $X-/K_{\mathrm{u}}$-band low-noise amplifier (LNA) with quad flat no-leads (QFN) packaging for the satellite communication application is proposed in this work. The LNA is able to support the reception of dual horizontally (H) and vertically (V) polarized signals, increasing the channel capacity. The parasitic effect of the QFN package is captured by a 3D electromagnetic simulator and is then co-designed with the LNA to achieve simultaneous noise and impedance matching at the band of interest. Realized in a $0.15-\mu \mathrm{m}$ GaAs pHEMT technology, the proposed QFN-packaged LNA can provide power gain of 20.6 and 21.6 dB while having 3-dB bandwidth from 10.7 to 13.1 GHz and minimum noise figure (NF) of 1.3 dB for the H- and V-polarization channels, respectively. The power consumption is only 43.2 mW from a 1-V supply.