IEEE MTT-S 2008 International Microwave Symposium Technical Program

Session: TH1E	HISTORY OF MIC/MMIC INVENTIONS - I
Chair:	George D. Vendelin, Department of Electrical Engineering, National Central University
Co-Chair:	Dr. Ray Pengelly, Cree Wireless Devices
Abstract:	This session will review the history of the development of MIC/MMIC circuits, which occurred at Texas Instruments 1964-1970 due to the MERA (Microwave Electronic Radar Applications) Program, which was a contract between TI and Wright Patterson Air Force Base to develop an X-Band solid-state radar. Many of the people who performed this work will give their recollections of the design of this benchmark system, including Tom Hyltin, the program manager.

TH1E-01	Five Years at Texas Instruments: 1963 – 1968
1780	G. D. Vendelin, National Central University, JhongLi City, Taiwan
	I spent 5.3 years at Texas Instruments as a Senior Staff Member of the Semiconductor Research and Development Laboratory working for Harry F. Cooke and Roger Webster, about 20 engineers. Three of us joined the MERA Proposal Team in early 1964: Harry Cooke, Al Ertel, and myself. The key to this program was the world’s best Si BJTs (built by Andy J. Anderson) for the pulsed high-power amplifiers, designed by Harry Cooke and Britton Vincent. My work included the X4 varactor frequency multiplier, which was completed by Ken Johnson using 9 beam-lead Schottky diodes, three in parallel and three in series. The MERA team consisted of about 60 engineers involving many MICs, primarily hybrid using 20 mil alumina. Silicon was not a good, reliable substrate for numerous reasons, variable substrate resistivity and high transmission losses.

TH1E-02	COMPACT—Microwave Circuit Optimization through Commercial Timesharing
1773	L. Besser, Besser Associates, Mountain View, United States
	Since the first generally available major analog circuit analysis program, SPICE, did not handle the needs of microwave engineers, COMPACT™ (Computerized Optimization of Microwave Passive and Active CircuiTs) was developed by the speaker in 1973. Recognizing that exact closed-form analytical solution for even a relatively simple microwave circuit, such as a single-stage feedback amplifier, was not practical, the first version of COMPACT included optimization of the circuit components. Although initially it was restricted to two-port type interconnections, generalized nodal connection and noise optimization were added in subsequent releases. Circuit library included a wide range of components, as well as measured s-parameter databanks. In 1980 Compact Software became part of COMSAT where SUPERCOMPACT™ was developed for mini-computers and later for personal computers, paving the way for newly emerged microwave software companies.

TH1E-03	Applied High Frequency Electromagnetic Analysis - A Historical Perspective
1777	J. Rautio, Sonnet Software, North Syracuse, United States
	The author has been involved in applied high frequency numerical electromagnetic analysis since the beginning of the field. Inspired by work on some of the first GaAs integrated circuits at GE Electronics Laboratory, Syracuse, NY, he learned electromagnetics with the intention of reducing and eliminating the multiple re-designs then required. This is the story, from the author’s personal perspective of how electromagnetic analysis has developed and matured from the very beginning until today, when it is now a required part of the microwave design process.

TH1E-04	The MERA Program, a MMIC Pioneer
1776	T. Hyltin, Unknown, United States
	The MERA program resulted from a “fishing” request for proposal from the Air Force Avonics Lab in 1964. They asked for a proposal to maximize the use of semiconductors in airborne forward- looking radar. Expectation was to integrate the signal processing, power supply, etc. Texas Instruments, at my urging, proposed a solid-state phased array that would push the state of the microwave art. Coming from this program was the demonstration of microstrip transmission on semi-insulating silicon and gallium-arsenide substrates in 1965, the first silicon MMIC, an X-band TR switch in 1966, a 500 MHz tuned amplifier in 1966, the first gallium-arsenide MMIC, a 94 Ghz local oscillator and balanced mixer in 1967. Finally, a complete operating radar was delivered in 1970. Many other firsts followed, and programs were begun in most other military radar houses in the US and abroad due to the interest in this program.

TH1E-05	Microwave Power Generation at 9 GHz in Hybrid Microwave Integrated Circuits
1781	B. T. Vincent, Jr., Signal Center Inc., Dallas, United States
	The MERA program by the U.S. Air force and Texas Instruments was begun in 1965 with the objective of designing a small integrated transmit/receive module with phase shifters which would be used in a multi-element phase array operating at X-band. The state of art in solid state power application at that time was limited to bipolar transistor technology in the S-Band range with maximum power output for a single device of approximately 2 watts. This paper will discuss these initial efforts in the design of the power amplifier and the efficient x4 frequency multiplier which was used to generate an output power of slightly less than 1 watt (10% duty cycle) at 9 GHz from an excitation at 2.25 GHz. Included is information on design of the high Q microwave beam lead varactors development which made the efficient x4 frequency multipliers possible.

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