A Wideband Transformer-Coupled CMOS Power Amplifier for $X$-Band Multifunction Chips

Abstract

This paper presents a wideband transformer-coupled CMOS power amplifier (PA). On-chip transmission-line transformers are used as key components of matching networks at output, input, and interstage. The wideband on-chip transformer is harnessed without any additional inductive devices so that a wideband power characteristic can be achieved. The PA is fabricated using a 0.18- <formula formulatype="inline" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex Notation="TeX">$\mu{\hbox {m}}$</tex></formula> CMOS process. It provides a saturated output power of 21.5 dBm with the power-added efficiency (PAE) of 20.3%, and the output 1-dB gain-compressed power <formula formulatype="inline" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex Notation="TeX">$(P_{1\ {\rm {dB}}})$</tex></formula> is 20.2 dBm with the PAE of 14.8% at 9.5 GHz, respectively. The small-signal gain is 25.3 dB and the 3-dB bandwidth is 6.5 GHz (6.5–13 GHz). The die area is 1.34 mm <formula formulatype="inline" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex Notation="TeX">$\times$</tex> </formula> 0.47 mm. Among the reported <formula formulatype="inline" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex Notation="TeX">$X/Ku$</tex></formula> -band CMOS PAs, this amplifier achieves the highest figure of merit, and also shows suitable performances for phased-array systems.