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We present a compact, 3-stage millimeter-wave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) amplifier with an operating frequency of 140–165 GHz, formed by common-emitter configured 0.5 um InP DHBTs and a multilayer thin-film microstrip (TFM) wiring environment. The amplifier small signal gain exhibits >5 dB from 140 GHz–165 GHz. The peak gain is 11 dB at 140 GHz. This is the first time reported InP DHBT MMIC amplifier operating in D-band employing TFM in china. The total size of this 3-stage amplifier is only 1.04 mm×0.88 mm.

Design and characterization of a G-band (140–220 GHz) terahertz monolithic integrated circuit (TMIC) amplifier in eight-stage common-emitter topology are performed based on the 0.5-μm InGaAs/InP double heterojunction bipolar transistor (DHBT). An inverted microstrip line is implemented to avoid a parasitic mode between the ground plane and the InP substrate. The on-wafer measurement results show that peak gains are 20 dB at 140 GHz and more than 15-dB gain at 140–190 GHz respectively. The saturation output powers are −2.688 dBm at 210 GHz and −2.88 dBm at 220 GHz, respectively. It is the first report on an amplifier operating at the G-band based on 0.5-μm InP DHBT technology. Compared with the hybrid integrated circuit of vacuum electronic devices, the monolithic integrated circuit has the advantage of reliability and consistency. This TMIC demonstrates the feasibility of the 0.5-μm InGaAs/InP DHBT amplifier in G-band frequencies applications.