Samuel The NLB-300 and NBB-300 series MMICs from RFMD work very at up to 13GHz or so, certainly far better than a Mini-circuits ERA- whose gain will start to roll off at higher frequencies. Designing a broadband gain stage to work up to 12GHz+ may not be as easy as it seems. However it is made somewhat easier by the use of broadband chokes from the likes of Mini-Circuits, wideband inductors from Coilcraft and broadband capacitors from ATC - to name but three - there may be others as well.
The 4-stage amplifier used by HP not only increases the signal level, it increases the slew rate (V/uSec) at lower frequencies. It's not just about signal level, it's about getting fast edges. The Hittite HMC363 /8 is a great IC, using static flip-flops, and will work all the way down to DC - IF the edges are fast enough. Ironically it may be the case that the lower frequency limit presents more of a challenge than the higher frequency limit. regards Grant _______________________________________________ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.