Potential of Coplanar X-band GaN-MMIC Power Amplifiers

Frequenz ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 68 (9-10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erhan Ersoy ◽  
Serguei Chevtchenko ◽  
Paul Kurpas ◽  
Wolfgang Heinrich
Keyword(s):  
Output Power ◽  
Power Amplifier ◽  
Power Amplifiers ◽  
Final Stage ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
The State ◽  
Large Signal ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
X Band ◽  
Gan Hemts

AbstractWhile the vast majority of GaN X-band PAs is realized as microstrip circuits, this paper reports design, fabrication and measurement of a coplanar version. The amplifier is processed using the FBH 4-inch GaN-on-SiC technology with 0.25 µm-gate GaN HEMTs. The two-stage power amplifier circuit delivers more than 12 W cw output power at 10 GHz, with a large-signal gain of 20 dB and a final stage drain efficiency of 45%. Benchmarking shows that these are best-in-class values for a coplanar X-band MMIC, which come very close to the state-of-the-art microstrip counterparts.

scholarly journals Performance of Efficient CMOS Power Amplifier for ISM Band Applications

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 4579-4584
Keyword(s):  
Output Power ◽  
Power Amplifier ◽  
Power Amplifiers ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Low Noise ◽  
High Output Power ◽  
Ism Band ◽  
Functional Blocks ◽  
Noise Amplifier ◽  
High Output

Power amplifiers are one of the most important functional blocks in the Radio Frequency (RF) frontend for reliable wireless communications. The power amplifiers amplify and boost the input signal to needed output power. The signal is amplified to create it sufficiently high for the transmitter to propagate the needed distance to the receiver. Such as power amplifiers are expected to need low-power communication while producing a relatively high output power with more efficiency. The trans-receiver has various blocks such as filters, Voltage Control Oscillator (VCO), Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) and power amplifier. Among these, the most power hungry device is a power amplifier. The efficiency of the power amplifier can be 100%, but practically it is just 55%. So, the scope of improvement in efficiency in a power amplifier will be an interesting and most challenging task. As well defined architecture, including linear functional block synthesis, which is complex in designing CMOS power amplifier for different applications. This article describes the different state-of-the-art design biasing class and advanced RF CMOS power amplifier for Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band applications.

scholarly journals X‐band two‐stage Doherty power amplifier based on pre‐matched GaN‐HEMTs

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wooseok Lee ◽  
Hwiseob Lee ◽  
Hyunuk Kang ◽  
Wonseob Lim ◽  
Jaekyung Han ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Amplifier ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
X Band ◽  
Gan Hemts ◽  
Doherty Power Amplifier

On the large-signal modeling of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs for RF switching-mode power amplifiers design

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anwar Jarndal ◽  
Pouya Aflaki ◽  
Louay Degachi ◽  
Ahmed Birafane ◽  
Ammar Kouki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Amplifiers ◽  
Signal Modeling ◽  
Large Signal ◽  
Gan Hemts ◽  
Switching Mode

Optimization of InP DHBT stacked-transistors for millimeter-wave power amplifiers

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 999-1010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Squartecchia ◽  
Tom K. Johansen ◽  
Jean-Yves Dupuy ◽  
Virginio Midili ◽  
Virginie Nodjiadjim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Circuits ◽  
Output Power ◽  
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors ◽  
Power Amplifiers ◽  
Small Signal Gain ◽  
Small Signal ◽  
Large Signal ◽  
Signal Gain ◽  
Power Added Efficiency ◽  
Saturated Output Power

AbstractIn this paper, we report the analysis, design, and implementation of stacked transistors for power amplifiers realized on InP Double Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors (DHBTs) technology. A theoretical analysis based on the interstage matching between all the single transistors has been developed starting from the small-signal equivalent circuit. The analysis has been extended by including large-signal effects and layout-related limitations. An evaluation of the maximum number of transistors for positive incremental power and gain is also carried out. To validate the analysis, E-band three- and four-stacked InP DHBT matched power cells have been realized for the first time as monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs). For the three-stacked transistor, a small-signal gain of 8.3 dB, a saturated output power of 15 dBm, and a peak power added efficiency (PAE) of 5.2% have been obtained at 81 GHz. At the same frequency, the four-stacked transistor achieves a small-signal gain of 11.5 dB, a saturated output power of 14.9 dBm and a peak PAE of 3.8%. A four-way combined three-stacked MMIC power amplifier has been implemented as well. It exhibits a linear gain of 8.1 dB, a saturated output power higher than 18 dBm, and a PAE higher than 3% at 84 GHz.

scholarly journals Design of W-Band GaN-on-Silicon Power Amplifier Using Low Impedance Lines

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (19) ◽  
pp. 9017
Author(s):  
Jinho Jeong ◽  
Yeongmin Jang ◽  
Jongyoun Kim ◽  
Sosu Kim ◽  
Wansik Kim
Keyword(s):  
Power Density ◽  
Output Power ◽  
Power Amplifier ◽  
High Power ◽  
Common Source ◽  
High Electron ◽  
Large Signal ◽  
Power Added Efficiency ◽  
W Band ◽  
Gan On Si

In this paper, a high-power amplifier integrated circuit (IC) in gallium-nitride (GaN) on silicon (Si) technology is presented at a W-band (75–110 GHz). In order to mitigate the losses caused by relatively high loss tangent of Si substrate compared to silicon carbide (SiC), low-impedance microstrip lines (20–30 Ω) are adopted in the impedance matching networks. They allow for the impedance transformation between 50 Ω and very low impedances of the wide-gate transistors used for high power generation. Each stage is matched to produce enough power to drive the next stage. A Lange coupler is employed to combine two three-stage common source amplifiers, providing high output power and good input/output return loss. The designed power amplifier IC was fabricated in the commercially available 60 nm GaN-on-Si high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) foundry. From on-wafer probe measurements, it exhibits the output power higher than 26.5 dBm and power added efficiency (PAE) higher than 8.5% from 88 to 93 GHz with a large-signal gain > 10.5 dB. Peak output power is measured to be 28.9 dBm with a PAE of 13.3% and a gain of 9.9 dB at 90 GHz, which corresponds to the power density of 1.94 W/mm. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this result belongs to the highest output power and power density among the reported power amplifier ICs in GaN-on-Si HEMT technologies operating at the W-band.

scholarly journals A Two-Stage X-Band 20.7-dBm Power Amplifier in 40-nm CMOS Technology

Electronics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 2198
Author(s):  
Zhichao Li ◽  
Shiheng Yang ◽  
Samuel B. S. Lee ◽  
Kiat Seng Yeo
Keyword(s):  
Output Power ◽  
Effective Conductivity ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Cmos Technology ◽  
Center Frequency ◽  
Cmos Process ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Power Added Efficiency ◽  
X Band ◽  
Compact Size

For higher integration density, X-band power amplifiers (PAs) with CMOS technology have been widely discussed in recent publications. However, with reduced power supply voltage and device size, it is a great challenge to design a compact PA with high output power and power-added efficiency (PAE). In the proposed design, a 40-nm standard CMOS process is used for higher integration with other RF building blocks, compared with other CMOS PA designs with larger process node. Transistor cells are designed with neutralization capacitors to increase stability and gain performance of the PA. As a trade-off among gain, output power, and PAE, the transistor cells in driving stage and power stage are biased for class A and class AB operation, respectively. Both transistor cells consist of two transistors working in differential mode. Furthermore, transformer-based matching networks (TMNs) are used to realize a two-stage X-band CMOS PA with compact size. The PA achieves an effective conductivity (EC) of 117.5, which is among the highest in recently reported X-band PAs in CMOS technology. The PA also attains a saturated output power (Psat) of 20.7 dBm, a peak PAE of 22.4%, and a gain of 25.6 dB at the center frequency of 10 GHz under a 1 V supply in 40-nm CMOS.

scholarly journals Dual-band impedance transformation networks for integrated power amplifiers

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Wolf ◽  
Niko Joram ◽  
Stefan Schumann ◽  
Frank Ellinger
Keyword(s):  
Output Power ◽  
Power Amplifiers ◽  
Design Procedure ◽  
Dual Band ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Large Signal ◽  
Fully Integrated ◽  
Power Added Efficiency ◽  
Relative Bandwidth ◽  
Measurement Results

This paper shows that the two most common impedance transformation networks for power amplifiers (PAs) can be designed to achieve optimum transformation at two frequencies. Hence, a larger bandwidth for the required impedance transformation ratio is achieved. A design procedure is proposed, which takes imperfections like losses into account. Furthermore, an analysis method is presented to estimate the maximum uncompressed output power of a PA with respect to frequency. Based on these results, a fully integrated PA with a dual-band impedance transformation network is designed and its functionality is proven by large signal measurement results. The amplifier covers the frequency band from 450 MHz to 1.2 GHz (3 dB bandwidth of the output power and efficiency), corresponding to a relative bandwidth of more than 100%. It delivers 23.7 dBm output power in the 1 dB compression point, having a power-added efficiency of 33%.

scholarly journals Broadband push-pull power amplifier design methodology based on the GaN component base for high-performance nonlinear junction detectors

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 01011
Author(s):  
Vladimir Klokov ◽  
Nikolay Kargin ◽  
Alexander Garmash ◽  
Ekaterina Guzniaeva
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Output Power ◽  
Power Amplifier ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Wide Band ◽  
Signal Power ◽  
Large Signal ◽  
Amplifier Design ◽  
Gain Characteristic

The paper presents a description of design methodology for wide-band push-pull large-signal power amplifier based on GaN transistor with an output power of more than 10 W for high-performance Nonlinear Junction Detectors, which allows achieving optimal convergence of the theoretical model in practice, as well as increasing the efficiency of the power amplifier while maintaining a linear gain characteristic.

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