Current Mode class-D Power Amplifier Research Articles

An automated system for nucleic acid extraction from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples using high intensity focused ultrasound technology.

Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples are routinely used in prospective and retrospective studies. It is crucial to obtain high-quality nucleic acid (NA) from FFPE samples for downstream molecular analysis, such as quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Sanger sequencing, next-generation sequencing, and microarray, in both clinical diagnosis and basic research. The current NA extraction methods from FFPE samples using chemical solvent are tedious, environmentally unfriendly, and unamenable to automation or field deployment. We present a tool for NA extraction from FFPE samples using a high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) technology. A cartridge strip containing reagents for FFPE sample deparaffinization and NA extraction and purification is operated by an automation tool consisting of a HIFU module, a liquid handling robot unit, and accessories including a thermal block and magnets. The HIFU module is a single concaved piezoelectric ceramic plate driven by a current-mode class-D power amplifier. Based on the ultrasonic cavitation effects, the HIFU module provides highly concentrated energy introducing paraffin emulsification and disintegration. The high quantity and quality of NA extracted using the reported system are evaluated by PCR and compared with the quantity and quality of NA extracted using the current standard methods.

Analysis and Design of Current Mode Class-D Power Amplifiers With Finite Feeding Inductors

Current-mode class-D (CMCD) power amplifiers (PAs) may not achieve a switching efficiency as good as class-E PAs, but they require fewer inductances and deliver almost five times more power for the same load and supply voltage when compared with the ideal push–pull class-E PA. Furthermore, CMCD PAs can easily use bondwires as the only circuit inductors, a precious feature that Internet-of-Things (IoT) wireless interfaces can exploit. For this reason, we analyze the voltage and current waveforms in CMCD PAs without assuming infinite value feeding inductors (i.e., without choke inductors). It is shown that the current stress on the switching device is significantly higher than in the conventional topology, especially in bondwire-based designs where relatively small feeding inductances are presented. Finally, we propose a design procedure for a given feeding inductance that maximizes energy efficiency while delivering a compact-size solution. A 2.4-GHz PA capable of delivering 19.8 dBm to a 100- $\Omega $ differential load with a power-added-efficiency (PAE) of 58% is presented. Three-dimensional electromagnetic (3-D EM) simulations combined with postlayout simulations were used to evaluate the PA performance in a quad-flat nonlead (QFN)-type package. The circuit is designed in a 0.13- $\mu \text {m}$ process and only occupies a silicon area of 0.025 mm2.

Design of a broadband current mode class-D power amplifier with harmonic suppression

Current mode class-D power amplifiers (CMCD-PA) are attractive for fully integrated PA implementation as the output capacitance of the active device can be absorbed in the output matching network that can be realized with minimum number of components. This paper presents a simplified design approach for CMCD PA design using an integrated balun transformers. Expressions are derived for the optimum device sizing for second harmonic suppression resulting in improved efficiency. An expression of amplifier efficiency as a function of device size is is presented proving that current mode class-D amplifier yields higher higher efficiency than a class-E amplifier for the same device size. The amplifier is implemented in 130 nm CMOS process and encapsulated in QFN package. Measurement results show that the amplifier exhibits broadband response between 1.4 and 2.1 GHz with peak output power of 26.8 dBm at 1.8 GHz using a 2.4 V supply. PAE remains above 40 % for the entire range while peak PAE is 48 %. Results show a good match between simulation and measurement work. Voltage sweep of the amplifier shows that it can be used in supply modulation based LINC techniques.

An All-Digital Gigahertz Class-S Transmitter in a 65-nm CMOS

A 65-nm all-digital Class-S transmitter with an entire digital frontend (DFE) and a current-mode Class-D (CMCD) power amplifier (PA) is presented. To realize the high operation rate and performance of the DFE, which includes a 1-bit band-pass $\Sigma \Delta $ modulator, a mixer, and interpolation filters, approaches, such as time-interleaving algorithm and modified Manchester encoding, are adopted. The main blocks in the DFE are implemented using standard cells with electronic design automation tools for synthesis and place and route. A CMCD PA with an ON-chip transformer is designed and integrated. This Class-S transmitter exhibits a 40-MHz bandwidth at up to a 1.6 GHz output carrier frequency. Measurements with a 1-MHz channel-spacing $\pi $ /4 quadrature phase shift keying signal show a power control range of −18.66 to −4.65 dBm, and the power consumption of the $\Sigma \Delta $ modulator core is 7 mW.

Evaluation of GaN Transistors Having Two Different Gate-Lengths for Class-S PA Design

This paper presents a characteristic evaluation of commercial gallium nitride (GaN) transistors having two different gate-lengths of <TEX>$0.4-{\mu}m$</TEX> and <TEX>$0.25-{\mu}m$</TEX> in the design of a class-S power amplifier (PA). Class-S PA is operated by a random pulse-width input signal from band-pass delta-sigma modulation and has to deal with harmonics that consider quantization noise. Although a transistor having a short gate-length has an advantage of efficient operation at higher frequency for harmonics of the pulse signal, several problems can arise, such as the cost and export license of a <TEX>$0.25-{\mu}m$</TEX> transistor. The possibility of using a <TEX>$0.4-{\mu}m$</TEX> transistor on a class-S PA at 955 MHz is evaluated by comparing the frequency characteristics of GaN transistors having two different gate-lengths and extracting the intrinsic parameters as a shape of the simplified switch-based model. In addition, the effectiveness of the switch model is evaluated by currentmode class-D (CMCD) simulation. Finally, device characteristics are compared in terms of current-mode class-S PA. The analyses of the CMCD PA reveal that although the efficiency of <TEX>$0.4-{\mu}m$</TEX> transistor decreases more as the operating frequency increases from 955 MHz to 3,500 MHz due to the efficiency limitation at the higher frequency region, it shows similar power and efficiency of 41.6 dBm and 49%, respectively, at 955 MHz when compared to the <TEX>$0.25-{\mu}m$</TEX> transistor.

0.7–1.8 GHz multiband digital polar transmitter using watt-class current-mode class-D CMOS power amplifier and digital envelope modulation technique for reduced spurious emissions

A polar transmitter driven by digital input signals for envelope and phase is demonstrated, using a band-switching output resonator to achieve multiband operation. A new digital pulse width modulation algorithm is also shown to partially suppress spurious signals associated with the digital input envelope signal. The transmitter consists of a current-mode class-D (CMCD) CMOS power amplifier (PA), together with a buck converter with a dead-time generator for improved efficiency. The CMCD PA is tuned by band-switching capacitors that can handle up to 9 V, and is measured to have approximately 30 dBm output power with 31–35% drain efficiency under single-tone testing. The proposed spurious signal reduction technique works to partially suppress quantization noise without increasing power consumption. Overall efficiencies of 27.1/25.6% are obtained at 30.2/28.9 dBm continuous wave (CW) output powers and 0.85/1.75 GHz carrier frequencies, respectively. Spur suppression of 9–10 dB peak is achieved when the proposed algorithm is applied with wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) modulation.

Inverse Class-F 기법을 이용한 900 MHz 전류 모드 Class-D RF 전력 증폭기 설계

본 논문에서는 900 MHz 대역에서 동작하는 전류 모드 Class-D(Current-Mode Class-D: CMCD) 전력 증폭기를 설계 및 제작하고 특성을 분석하였다. 차동 구조에 의해 짝수차 고조파 성분이 제거된다는 점에 착안하여 출력단의 일반적인 CMCD 회로의 병렬 공진기를 제거하고 inverse class-F 전력 증폭기를 push-pull 구조로 연결하여 CMCD 전력 증폭기를 설계하였다. 로드-풀 기법을 이용하여 GaN 소자 기반의 inverse class-F 및 이를 적용한 CMCD 전력 증폭기를 설계 및 제작하였다. 제작한 CMCD는 34.2 dBm의 출력과 64.5 %의 드레인 효율을 가지며, 이는 출력측에 공진기 구조를 가지는 일반적인 CMCD 전력 증폭기의 드레인 효율과 비교했을 때 13.6 %의 효율 향상을 가진다. In this paper, Current-Mode Class-D(CMCD) RF Power Amplifier(PA) is designed and implemented at 900 MHz. Conventional CMCD PA has output parallel resonator to reconstruct a fundamental frequency component of the output signal. However the resonator can be removed by connecting inverse class-F PAs because even-harmonic components can be removed by CMCD PA's push-pull structure. Using load-pull, inverse class-F PA with GaN transistors is designed, and CMCD PA with the inverse class-F PA is implemented. The CMCD PA has 64.5 % drain efficiency, 34.2 dBm output power. Comparing with the drain efficiency of a CMCD PA with parallel resonator, the CMCD with the inverse class-F technology has 13.6 % improved drain efficiency.

Enhanced architecture for microwave current-mode class-D amplifiers applied to the design of an S-band GaN-based power amplifier

An enhanced architecture for the design of current-mode class-D (CMCD) power amplifiers (PAs) at microwave frequencies is presented. In the proposed structure, the harmonic impedance loading conditions of CMCD amplifiers are realised by using multiharmonic output impedance transformation networks instead of a combination of balun and lumped element tanks, typically used in CMCD PA designs. The advantage of the proposed approach is to remove design complexity from the balun and lumped element tank. A 39 dBm GaN-based CMCD PA was designed at 2.35 GHz – to the best knowledge of the authors the highest frequency for a CMCD PA reported in open literature – to validate and to demonstrate the capabilities of this architecture. The fabricated PA achieves 68% DC-to-RF efficiency (η) and 65% power added efficiency. A comparison between this S-band amplifier and a conventional wideband-balun-resonant-tank CMCD PA at 1 GHz using a similar commercial active device demonstrates the frequency coverage and performance improvement of the proposed topology.