Design of Radiation-Hardened RF Low-Noise Amplifiers Using Inverse-Mode SiGe HBTs
A SiGe RF low-noise amplifier (LNA) with built-in tolerance to single-event transients is proposed. The LNA utilizes an inverse-mode SiGe HBT for the common-base transistor in a cascode core. This new cascode configuration exhibits reduced transient peaks and shorter transient durations compared to the conventional cascode one. The improved SET response was verified with through-wafer two-photon absorption pulsed-laser experiments and supported via mixed-mode TCAD simulations. In addition, analysis of the RF performance and the reliability issues associated with the inverse-mode operation further suggests this new cascode structure can be a strong contender for space-based applications. The LNA with the inverse-mode-based cascode core was fabricated in a 130 nm SiGe BiCMOS platform and has similar RF performance to the conventional schematic-based LNA, further validating the proposed approach.