Abstract:
This paper introduces a matching technique for highly sensitive integrated broadband low-noise
amplifiers. Noise matching is achieved by the paralleling of identical input transistors. Impedance matching,
based on reducing the number of components to the absolute minimum, is done by using the base-collector
capacitance as network element. Using a 0.13 m silicon-germanium (SiGe) bipolar complementary metal
oxide semiconductor process, simulation results indicate a maximum noise figure of 0.462 dB at room
temperature and a return loss better than 10 dB from 300 MHz to 1.4 GHz. The technique demonstrates that
SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors can be used for cost-effective applications in radio astronomy.
