Learn About MMIC

The acronym MMIC stands for monolithic microwave integrated circuit. The word monolithic (from the Greek) means “as a single stone” and describes the fundamental characteristic of MMICs (i.e., that they are fabricated from a single piece of semiconductor material). The word microwave refers to the ac signal frequency range within which they are used, which covers free-space wavelengths from 1 mm to 1m and corresponds to frequencies from 300 MHz to 300 GHz. The term integrated circuit (IC) indicates that the semiconductor material does not contain a single diode or transistor but consists of an electronic circuit of active devices, like transistors, and passive devices, such as capacitors and resistors, together with all their interconnections, to make up a whole system. MMICs are utilized in most applications that involve transmitting and receiving microwave signals, ranging from cellular phones, wireless local-area networks (WLANs) and Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers at the low gigahertz end up to Earth-observation radiometers and security scanners up in the hundreds of gigahertz end. They have applications in the communications industry within optical-fiber, satellite communications, and point-to-point links; in the automotive industry within autotolling, vehicle identification, road-traffic information, and cruise-control systems; and in the military industry within electronic warfare, missile seeker heads, andphased-array radar systems.

(2016). In Practical MMIC Design, Steve Marsh.

What is MMIC ?