An X-Band 40 W Power Amplifier GaN MMIC Design by Using Equivalent Output Impedance Model

This paper presents an X-band 40 W power amplifier with high efficiency based on 0.25 μm GaN HEMT (High Electron Mobility Transistor) on SiC process. An equivalent RC (Resistance Capacitance) model is presented to provide accurate large-signal output impedances of GaN HEMTs with arbitrary dimensions. By introducing the band-pass filter topology, broadband impedance matching networks are achieved based on the RC model, and the power amplifier MMIC (Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit) with enhanced bandwidth is realized. The measurement results show that this power amplifier at 28 V operation voltage achieved over 40 W output power, 44.7% power-added efficiency and 22 dB power gain from 8 GHz to 12 GHz. The total chip size is 3.20 mm × 3.45 mm.

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Design of a High-Efficiency GaN High-Electron Mobility Transistor Microwave Power Amplifier

Journal of Science and Technology - Technical Universities ◽

10.51316/30.8.8 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30.8 (147) ◽

pp. 46-50

Author(s):

Duy Manh Luong ◽

◽

Huy Hoang Nguyen

Keyword(s):

Power Amplifier ◽

Microwave Power ◽

Electron Mobility ◽

High Efficiency ◽

High Electron Mobility Transistor ◽

Satellite Communications ◽

High Electron ◽

High Electron Mobility ◽

Power Added Efficiency ◽

Microwave Power Amplifier

This study presents a design procedure to obtain high-efficiency for microwave power amplifier. The designed amplifier uses a GaN high electron mobility transistor as an active device. Matching networks including input and output networks are realized using Megtron6 substrate microstrip lines. The designed amplifier operates at 2.1 GHz band. The simulated results show that the amplifier delivers a maximum power-added efficiency of 73.2% at output power and power gain of 47.8 dBm and 13.8 dB, respectively. This promising designed performance makes this amplifier to be an excellent candidate for use in modern wireless communication systems like radar, mobile network, and satellite communications.

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Improvement of Small Signal Equivalent Simulations for Power and Efficiency Matching of GaN HEMTs

Electronics ◽

10.3390/electronics10030263 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 263

Author(s):

Roberto Quaglia

Keyword(s):

Power Amplifier ◽

High Electron Mobility Transistor ◽

High Electron ◽

Large Signal ◽

Signal Model ◽

Or Efficiency ◽

Summary Table ◽

Matching Networks ◽

Amplifier Design ◽

Frequency Power

In high-frequency power-amplifier design, it is common practice to approach the design of reactive matching networks using linear simulators and targeting a reflection loss limit (referenced to the target impedance). It is well known that this is only a first-pass design technique, since output power or efficiency contours do not correspond to mismatch circles. This paper presents a method to improve the accuracy of this approach in the case of matching network design for power amplifiers based on gallium nitride (GaN) technology. Equivalent mismatch circles, which lay within the power or efficiency contours targeted by the design, are analytically obtained thanks to geometrical considerations. A summary table providing the parameters to use for typical contours is provided. The technique is demonstrated on two examples of power-amplifier design on the 6–12 GHz band using the non-linear large-signal model of a GaN High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT).

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

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11199017 ◽

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.

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High-power monolithic AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor switches

International Journal of Microwave and Wireless Technologies ◽

10.1017/s1759078709990183 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 1 (4) ◽

pp. 339-345 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Vincenzo Alleva ◽

Andrea Bettidi ◽

Walter Ciccognani ◽

Marco De Dominicis ◽

Mauro Ferrari ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Insertion Loss ◽

High Power ◽

Integrated Circuit ◽

State Of The Art ◽

High Electron Mobility Transistor ◽

High Electron ◽

Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit ◽

X Band ◽

Power Handling Capability ◽

Better Than

This work presents the design, fabrication, and test of X-band and 2–18 GHz wideband high-power single pole double throw (SPDT) monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) switches in microstrip gallium nitride (GaN) technology. Such switches have demonstrated state-of-the-art performances and RF fabrication yields better than 65%. In particular, the X-band switch exhibits 1 dB insertion loss, better than 37 dB isolation, and a power handling capability better than 39 dBm at a 1 dB insertion loss compression point; the wideband switch shows an insertion loss lower than 2.2 dB, better than 25 dB isolation, and an insertion loss compression of 1 dB at an input drive higher than 38.5 dBm in the entire bandwidth.

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X-Band High-Efficiency Continuous Class B Power Amplifier GaN MMIC Assisted by Input Second-Harmonic Tuning

Electronics ◽

10.3390/electronics8111312 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (11) ◽

pp. 1312 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Chen Jin ◽

Yuan Gao ◽

Wei Chen ◽

Jianhua Huang ◽

Zhiyu Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Power Amplifier ◽

Integrated Circuit ◽

High Efficiency ◽

Second Harmonic ◽

Power Added Efficiency ◽

Optimum Load ◽

Measurement Results ◽

Class B ◽

Point To Point ◽

Output Capacitance

This paper presents a high-efficiency continuous class B power amplifier MMIC (Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit) from 8 GHz to 10.5 GHz, fabricated with 0.25 μm GaN-on-SiC technology. The Pedro load-line method was performed to calculate the optimum load of the GaN field-effect transistor (FET) for efficiency enhancement. Optimized by an output second-harmonic tuned network, fundamental to second-harmonic impedance, mapping was established point-to-point within a broad frequency band, which approached the classic continuous class B mode with an expanded high-efficiency bandwidth. Moreover, the contribution to the output capacitance of the FET was introduced into the output second-harmonic tuned network, which simplified the structure of the output matching network. Assisted by the second-harmonic source-pull technique, the input second-harmonic tuned network was optimized to improve the efficiency of the power amplifier over the operation band. The measurement results showed 51–59% PAE (Power Added Efficiency) and 19.8–21.2 dB power gain with a saturated power of 40.8–42.2 dBm from 8 GHz to 10.5 GHz. The size of the chip was 3.2 × 2.4 mm2.

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GaN low-noise X-band MMIC amplifier.

Journal of Radio Electronics ◽

10.30898/1684-1719.2021.2.12 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 (2) ◽

Author(s):

E. Kudabay ◽

◽

A. Salikh ◽

V.A. Moseichuk ◽

A. Krivtsun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Output Power ◽

Integrated Circuit ◽

Noise Figure ◽

Supply Voltage ◽

High Electron Mobility Transistor ◽

Low Noise ◽

Common Source ◽

High Electron ◽

Monolithic Integrated Circuit ◽

X Band

The purpose of this paper is to design a microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) for low noise amplifier (LNA) X-band (7-12 GHz) based on technology of gallium nitride (GaN) high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) with a T-gate, which has 100 nm width, on a silicon (Si) semi-insulating substrate of the OMMIC company. The amplifier is based on common-source transistors with series feedback, which was formed by high-impedance transmission line, and with parallel feedback to match noise figure and power gain. The key characteristics of an LNA are noise figure and gain. However, in this paper, it was decided to design the LNA, which should have a good margin in terms of input and output power. As a result, GaN technology was chosen, which has a higher noise figure compared to other technologies, but eliminates the need for an input power limiter, which in turn significantly increases the overall noise figure. As a result LNA MMIC was developed with the following characteristics: noise figure less than 1.6 dB, small-signal gain more than 20 dB, return loss better than -13 dB and output power more than 19 dBm with 1 dB compression in the range from 7 to 12 GHz in dimensions 2x1.5 mm², which has a supply voltage of 8 V and a current consumption of less than 70 mA. However, it should be said that LNA was only modeled in the AWR DE.

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Frequency Selective Degeneration for 6–18 GHz GaAs pHEMT Broadband Power Amplifier Integrated Circuit

Electronics ◽

10.3390/electronics9101588 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. 1588

Author(s):

Sungjae Oh ◽

Eunjoo Yoo ◽

Hansik Oh ◽

Hyungmo Koo ◽

Jaekyung Shin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Frequency Response ◽

Output Power ◽

Power Amplifier ◽

Integrated Circuit ◽

High Electron Mobility Transistor ◽

High Electron ◽

Matching Networks ◽

Chip Size ◽

Parallel Network ◽

Frequency Selective

In this paper, a frequency selective degeneration technique using a parallel network with a resistor and capacitor is proposed for a 6–18 GHz GaAs pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor (pHEMT) broadband power amplifier integrated circuit (PAIC). The proposed degeneration network is applied to the source of the transistor to flatten the frequency response of the transistor in conjunction with feedback and resistor biasing circuits. An almost uniform frequency response was achieved at the wide frequency band through optimizing the values of the capacitor and resistor for the degeneration circuit. Single-section matching networks for small chip sizes were adopted for the two-stage amplifier following the flat frequency characteristics of the degenerated transistor. The proposed broadband PAIC for the 6 to 18 GHz band was fabricated using a 0.15 μm GaAs pHEMT process and had a chip size of 1.03 × 0.87 mm2. The PAIC exhibited gain of 15 dB to 17.2 dB, output power of 20.5 dBm to 22.1 dBm, and linear output power of 11.9 dBm to 13.45 dBm, which satisfies the IMD3 of −30 dBc in the 6–18 GHz band. Flatness for the gain and output power was achieved as ±1.1 dB and ±0.8 dB, respectively.

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A highly efficient 3.5 GHz inverse class-F GaN HEMT power amplifier

International Journal of Microwave and Wireless Technologies ◽

10.1017/s1759078710000395 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 2 (3-4) ◽

pp. 317-324 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Paul Saad ◽

Christian Fager ◽

Hossein Mashad Nemati ◽

Haiying Cao ◽

Herbert Zirath ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Output Power ◽

Power Amplifier ◽

Continuous Wave ◽

High Electron Mobility Transistor ◽

High Electron ◽

Power Added Efficiency ◽

Average Ratio ◽

Gan Hemt ◽

Continuous Wave Signal ◽

Class F

This paper presents the design and implementation of an inverse class-F power amplifier (PA) using a high power gallium nitride high electron mobility transistor (GaN HEMT). For a 3.5 GHz continuous wave signal, the measurement results show state-of-the-art power-added efficiency (PAE) of 78%, a drain efficiency of 82%, a gain of 12 dB, and an output power of 12 W. Moreover, over a 300 MHz bandwidth, the PAE and output power are maintained at 60% and 10 W, respectively. Linearized modulated measurements using 20 MHz bandwidth long-term evolution (LTE) signal with 11.5 dB peak-to-average ratio show that −42 dBc adjacent channel power ratio (ACLR) is achieved, with an average PAE of 30%, −47 dBc ACLR with an average PAE of 40% are obtained when using a WCDMA signal with 6.6 dB peak-to-average ratio (PAR).

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