Load Tuning Assisted Discrete-Level Supply Modulation Using BST and GaN Devices for Highly Efficient Power Amplifiers
S. Preis1, N. Wolff1, F. Lenze2, A. Wiens2, R. Jakoby2, W. Heinrich1, O. Bengtsson1
Published in:
IEEE MTT-S Int. Microw. Symp. Dig., Philadelphia, USA, Jun. 10-15, pp. 1230-1233 (2018).
Abstract:
The combination of supply modulation and load tuning using highly efficient GaN components and very linear thin-film barium-strontium-titanate varactors constitutes an agile and reconfigurable platform that allows optimized broadband operation for high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) signals. The flexible hardware developed in this work shows that the PAEavg of a 60 MHz wide 11.9 dB PAPR signal is improved by 4 percentage points using load tuning and further 10 percentage points by supply modulation. The improved PAE values were obtained while maintaining linearity. The power amplifier including output matching network is a very compact realization inside a modified RF transistor package.
1 Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Leibniz-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik (FBH), 12489 Berlin, Germany
2 Technische Universitaet Darmstadt, Institut fuer Mikrowellentechnik und Photonik, 64283 Darmstadt, Germany
Index Terms:
Gallium nitride, HEMTs, load modulation, power amplifiers, supply modulation, varactors.
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