Title: 25 nm InP HEMT LNAs and Receiver Technology for the TWICE Instrument
Presenting Author: William Deal
Organization: Northrop Grumman Corporation
Co-Author(s): William R. Deal, Pekka Kangaslahti, Alex Zamora, Erich Schlecht, Kevin Leong, Gerry Mei, Sean Shih, and Steven C. Reising

Abstract:
The desire to perform complex millimeter and submillimeter-wave atmospheric measurements on 6U CubeSat platforms drives the need for a new generation of compact, low DC power consumption receivers that maintain a high level of sensitivity. A new generation of InP HEMT transistors has been shown to be capable of low noise amplification up to frequencies of at least 850 GHz. This technology is now being used in receivers for the Tropospheric Water and Cloud ICE (TWICE) instrument under the Instrument Incubator Program 2013 (IIP-13). These receivers are being developed by Northrop Grumman Corp. and JPL for the TWICE IIP-13 led by Colorado State University. While all TWICE channels are expected to have improved sensitivity by transitioning to the advanced 25 InP HEMT technology, the primary need is driven by the higher-frequency channels measured with receivers operating in the frequency ranges of 230-390 GHz and 660-680 GHz. This talk will provide a technology overview, including projected impact on sensitivity and DC power consumption. Initial low-noise amplifier (LNA) measurements will be provided, along with measured receiver performance at 670 GHz.