Ghannouchi, FadhelPahlevani, MajidShekari Beyragh, Dawood2023-09-272023-09-272023-09-15Shekari Beyragh, D. (2023). Fully integrated GaN front-end RF modules for advanced spaceborne synthetic aperture radars (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.https://hdl.handle.net/1880/117093https://doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/41935RF front-end modules (FEMs) are vital in wireless communication and radar systems. FEMs comprise three fundamental components: a power amplifier (PA), a low noise amplifier (LNA), and a T/R switch. PAs use the highest power in wireless communication and radar systems and, jointly with the T/R switches, are responsible for most dissipations and heat generation. So, developing higher efficiency architectures for the PAs and T/R switches is crucial for reducing power consumption, extending the battery lifetime of the mobile systems, reducing the operating temperature, and improving reliability. Besides, new wireless communication applications, like 5G NR, and spaceborne synthetic aperture radars (SAR), demand FEMs with higher output power and operating frequency. Realizing these new applications using mature semiconductor technologies like Si and GaAs technologies is becoming more and more challenging while using GaN technology shows a prominent figure of merits. This thesis proposes two novel high-power GaN-based T/R switch architectures for spaceborne synthetic aperture radar applications. Then it describes the design process for three switches operating in C and X bands based on the proposed architectures using United Monolithic Semiconductors (UMS) GH25-10 0.25 μm GaN HEMT process. The designed switches’ simulation and measurement results are presented, showing a good agreement and verifying the desired performance of the proposed architectures. The second part of the thesis describes the development of a fully integrated C-band FEM using one of the designed switches, a PA, and an LNA developed in iRadio Lab. Due to the contractual requirements, asking for on-wafer testing of each FEM building block as a standalone component, these blocks were implemented with 50 Ω ports to be interconnected later when evaluating the full FEM performance. The on-wafer experimental results of the FEM individual building blocks show good agreement with the simulation results. As the last part, a breadboard was designed to assess the performance of the FEM in realistic operating conditions, and an on-wafer, low-loss, 50 Ω high-power interconnection method was developed to interconnect the T/R switch to the HPA and LNA. The breadboard measurement results agree with the interconnected FEM simulation results and show the outstanding performance of the FEM under large-signal conditions.enUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.Front-End ModuleSynthetic Aperture RadarGaN HEMT TechnologyRF SwitchT/R SwitchEngineering--Electronics and Electricaldoctoral thesis