|
For Full-Text PDF, please login, if you are a member of IEICE,
or go to Pay Per View on menu list, if you are a nonmember of IEICE.
|
Design of a K-Band Power Amplifier Using On-Wafer-Tuning Load-Pull Method
Minoru IDA Masashi NAKATSUGAWA
Publication
IEICE TRANSACTIONS on Electronics
Vol.E81-C
No.6
pp.882-885 Publication Date: 1998/06/25 Online ISSN:
DOI: Print ISSN: 0916-8516 Type of Manuscript: Special Section PAPER (Special Issue on Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Module Technology) Category: Semiconductor Devices and Amplifiers Keyword: power amplifier, load-pull measurement, on-wafer, MMIC, HEMT,
Full Text: PDF>>
Summary:
In high-frequency operation, it is difficult to obtain a large tuning range in load-pull measurement due to losses in the tuning network and RF-probes. In this paper, a low-loss on-wafer-tuning load-pull method is proposed. The output matching network consists of two CPWs connected to a FET output terminal. The impedance of the network can be controlled by changing the effective length of the CPWs by replacing RF-probes and removing air-bridges. To confirm the validity of this load-pull method, a K-band high-efficiency MMIC power amplifier has been designed using the method and fabricated. The amplifier demonstrates performance of 19. 5-dBm saturated output power, 12. 5-dB linear gain and 49. 3% maximum power-added efficiency (PAE) at Vds = 3 V for 26 GHz operation. At 1-dB gain-compression, the PAE is still as high as 44%. This high PAE result clearly indicates that the proposed method is a useful tool for designing power amplifiers, especially those for use in high-frequency (e.g. K-band) operation.
|
|
|