Abstract
This paper presents the analysis and design of a novel broadband low-noise amplifier (LNA) with larger than seven-octave bandwidth. To achieve good impedance matching, flat gain, and low noise over larger than seven-octave bandwidth, the combination technique of shunt-resistive feedback, dual inductive-peaking techniques as well as a compact improved active load supporting broadband RF biasing from dc to 20 GHz, is proposed for LNA design. The gain and noise improvement principles of the proposed technique are also analyzed theoretically. Based on the theoretical study, a three-stage LNA with larger than seven-octave bandwidth, i.e. 0.1 to 20 GHz, is designed and verified using a 0.15- \mu \text{m} GaAs pHEMT technology. The LNA experimental results show a high gain of 28.6 dB, good noise figure of 3.1 to 5.8 dB, and output P_{\mathrm {-1\,\,dB}} of 7.8 to 12.7 dBm over the broad frequency range of 0.1 to 20 GHz. The proposed LNA has a compact chip size of only 1.53 mm 2 including testing input/output pads.