A 0.74-mW K$_u$-band Cryogenic SiGe LNA in 130-nm BiCMOS with 14-K Noise Temperature for Scalable Quantum Readout

Abstract

This paper presents a sub-milliwatt K$_u$-band cryogenic low-noise amplifier (LNA) implemented in GlobalFoundries (GF) 130CBIC SiGe BiCMOS, intended for a sub-Kelvin qubit readout chain integrating a JPA and SiGe LNA on the Still stage. The four-stage cascode LNA features balun-coupled interstage matching with a Q-enhanced resonance tank controlled by 2-bit switches tank for frequency tuning and a voltage-controlled cross-coupled negative-$g_m$ cell. The operating point of the Q-cell is optimized at each temperature stage to achieve the best in-band performance under a stable condition. Characterized at 2.5 K for the initial demonstration, the LNA achieves an average noise temperature of $\sim$14 K across 12-18 GHz and 28 dB peak gain around 16.5 GHz, while consuming only 0.74 mW. To the authors' knowledge, this is the lowest reported DC power for a K$_u$-band cryogenic SiGe LNA.