Fabrication and characterization of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs with high power gain and efficiency at 8 GHz

State-of-the-art AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility structures were grown on semi-insulating 4H-SiC substrates by MOCVD and X-band microwave power high electron mobility transistors were fabricated and characterized. Hall mobility of 2291.1 cm2/(V·s) and two-dimensional electron gas density of 9.954 × 1012 cm–2 were achieved at 300 K. The HEMT devices with a 0.45-μm gate length exhibited maximum drain current density as high as 1039.6 mA/mm and peak extrinsic transconductance of 229.7 mS/mm. The f T of 30.89 GHz and f max of 38.71 GHz were measured on the device. Load-pull measurements were performed and analyzed under (–3.5, 28) V, (–3.5, 34) V and (–3.5, 40) V gate/drain direct current bias in class-AB, respectively. The uncooled device showed high linear power gain of 17.04 dB and high power-added efficiency of 50.56% at 8 GHz when drain biased at (–3.5, 28) V. In addition, when drain biased at (–3.5, 40) V, the device exhibited a saturation output power density up to 6.21 W/mm at 8 GHz, with a power gain of 11.94 dB and a power-added efficiency of 39.56%. Furthermore, the low f max/f T ratio and the variation of the power sweep of the device at 8 GHz with drain bias voltage were analyzed.

Cooling Cycle Optimization for a Vuilleumier Refrigerator

Vuilleumier refrigerators are a special type of heat-driven cooling machines. Essentially, they operate by using heat from a hot bath to pump heat from a cold bath to an environment at intermediate temperatures. In addition, some external energy in the form of electricity can be used as an auxiliary driving mechanism. Such refrigerators are, for example, advantageous in situations where waste heat is available and cooling power is needed. Here, the question of how the performance of Vuilleumier refrigerators can be improved is addressed with a particular focus on the piston motion and thus the thermodynamic cycle of the refrigerator. In order to obtain a quantitative estimate of the possible cooling power gain, a special class of piston movements (the AS motion class explained below) is used, which was already used successfully in the context of Stirling engines. We find improvements of the cooling power of more than 15%.

Improving the Structure of a Signal Used for Real-Time Calibrating of the Receiving Channels of Digital Transceiver Modules in Digital Phased Antenna Arrays

Introduction. Modern digital phased array antenna (DPAA) systems incorporate a large number of identical transceiver modules (TMs). These modules require real-time calibration with a high level of accuracy. In a previous work, we proposed a real-time calibration method for all receiver channels, which is based on the use of a calibration signal (CalSig) of the same frequency spectrum as the reflected signal and modulated in phase and amplitude by BPSK and OOK codes, respectively. This method was found to have a number of advantages over conventional approaches. However, the use of the same CalSig sample for all receiving channels increases the noise power gain at the output of a digital beam-forming unit (DBU). To overcome this limitation, we set out to improve the structure of CalSigs by making them pseudo-orthogonal. As a result, the noise power gain at the DBU output can be significantly reduced compared to that obtained in our previous work.Aim. To propose an improved design of a controlled amplitude modulation code OOK generator, which allows creation of pseudo-orthogonal CalSigs. As a result, the noise power gain at the output will increase insignificantly, thus having no negative effect on the quality of digital beam forming, signal processing and calibration.Materials and methods. Theory of system engineering and technology; theory of digital signal processing; system analysis; mathematical modeling.Results. An improved CalSig for calibrating the receiving channels of TMs was obtained. A structural diagram allowing the formation of pseudo-orthogonal CalSigs was synthesized.Conclusions. We proposed a new approach to improving the structure of signals used for real-time calibrating the DPAA receiving channels. A structural diagram of an amplitude-modulated OOK code generator for pseudo-orthogonal CalSigs was developed.

S Band Hybrid Power Amplifier in GaN Technology with Input/Output Multi Harmonic Tuned Terminations

In this paper, the design, fabrication, and measurements of an S band multi harmonic tuned power amplifier in GaN technology is described. The amplifier has been designed by exploiting second and third harmonic tuning conditions at both input and output ports of the active device. The amplifier has been realized in a hybrid form, and characterized in terms of small and large signal performance. An operating bandwidth of 300 MHz around 3.55 GHz, with 42.3 dBm output power, 9.3 dB power gain and 53.5% power added efficiency PAE (60% drain efficiency) at 3.7 GHz are measured.

A fully matched dual stage CMOS power amplifier with integrated passive linearizer attaining 23 db gain, 40% PAE and 28 DBM OIP3

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new linearization technique known as the passive linearizer technique which does not affect the power added efficiency (PAE) while maintaining a power gain of more than 20 dB for complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) power amplifier (PA). Design/methodology/approach The linearization mechanism is executed with an aid of a passive linearizer implemented at the gate of the main amplifier to minimize the effect of Cgs capacitance through the generation of opposite phase response at the main amplifier. The inductor-less output matching network presents an almost lossless output matching network which contributes to high gain, PAE and output power. The linearity performance is improved without the penalty of power consumption, power gain and stability. Findings With this topology, the PA delivers more than 20 dB gain for the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Band from 2.4 GHz to 2.5 GHz with a supply headroom of 1.8 V. At the center frequency of 2.45 GHz, the PA exhibits a gain of 23.3 dB with corresponding peak PAE of 40.11% at a maximum output power of 14.3 dBm. At a maximum linear output power of 12.7 dBm, a PAE of 37.3% has been achieved with a peak third order intermodulation product of 28.04 dBm with a power consumption of 50.58 mW. This corresponds to ACLR of – 20 dBc, thus qualifying the PA to operate for BLE operation. Practical implications The proposed technique is able to boost up the efficiency and output power, as well as linearize the PA closer to 1 dB compression point. This reduces the trade-off between linear output power and PAE in CMOS PA design. Originality/value The proposed CMOS PA can be integrated comfortably to a BLE transmitter, allowing it to reduce the transceiver’s overall power consumption.

A novel age-informed approach for genetic association analysis in Alzheimer’s disease

Background Many Alzheimer’s disease (AD) genetic association studies disregard age or incorrectly account for it, hampering variant discovery. Methods Using simulated data, we compared the statistical power of several models: logistic regression on AD diagnosis adjusted and not adjusted for age; linear regression on a score integrating case-control status and age; and multivariate Cox regression on age-at-onset. We applied these models to real exome-wide data of 11,127 sequenced individuals (54% cases) and replicated suggestive associations in 21,631 genotype-imputed individuals (51% cases). Results Modeling variable AD risk across age results in 5–10% statistical power gain compared to logistic regression without age adjustment, while incorrect age adjustment leads to critical power loss. Applying our novel AD-age score and/or Cox regression, we discovered and replicated novel variants associated with AD on KIF21B, USH2A, RAB10, RIN3, and TAOK2 genes. Conclusion Our AD-age score provides a simple means for statistical power gain and is recommended for future AD studies.