Gallium Nitride Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits for Compact Ka-Band Earth Science Remote Sensing Frontends

We are developing Ka-band gallium nitride (GaN) monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) for a compact transceiver frontend. We present the design, fabrication and test results of a GaN power amplifier (PA), low noise amplifier (LNA), and single-pole-double-throw (SPDT) switch. These components are necessary for implementing a radar transceiver unit cell concept with digital calibration capabilities for future cloud radar arrays.