GaAs driver and sensor for a high speed system

The circuitry of a GaAs driver/sensor device was presented. The specific features that it possesses and the design issues were discussed. The device was prototyped using MMIC (monolithic microwave integrated circuit) techniques and packaged in hybrid form. Experimental results indicated that its performance well exceeded the designated goal at 100 MHz. After intensive SPICE simulations confirmed the functional and timing characteristics of the driver and sensor, the design was then laid out. All components except the Zener diodes were embedded inside the chips. Silicon Zener diodes were used instead of their GaAs counterparts to obtain better accuracy of the Zener voltage. The overall gate width of the driver circuit is greater than the upper limit specified by the foundry design rules, and the driver is partitioned into three chips.<<ETX>>