Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit Power Research Articles

Study on the Ku band Solid-State Power Amplifier(SSPA) through the 40 W-grade High Power MMIC Development and the Combination of High Power Modules

In this paper, to substitute the existing TWTA(Travailing Wave Tube Amplifier) component in small radar system, we developed the Ku band SSPA(Solid-State Power Amplifier) based on the fabrication of power MMIC (Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit) chips. For the development of the 500 W SSPA, the 40 W-grade power MMIC was designed by ADS(Advanced Design System) at Keysight company with UMS GH015 library, and was processed by UMS foundry service. And 70 W main power modules were achieved the 2-way T-junction combiner method by using the 40 W-grade power MMICs. Finally, the 500 W SSPA was fabricated by the wave guide type power divider between the drive power amplifier and power modules, and power combiner with same type between power modules and output port. The electrical properties of this SSPA had 504 W output power, -58.11 dBc spurious, 1.74 °/us phase variation, and -143 dBm/Hz noise level.

Efficient GaN-on-Si Power Amplifier Design Using Analytical and Numerical Optimization Methods for 24–30 GHz 5G Applications

This paper presents the design procedure of an efficient compact monolithic microwave integrated circuit power amplifier (MMIC PA) in a 0.1 μm GaN-on-Si process for 5G millimeter-wave communication. Load/source-pull simulations were conducted to correctly create equivalent large-signal matching models for stabilized power cells and to determine the optimal impedance domain. The shorted stub with bypass capacitors minimizes the transistor’s output reactance, simplifying the matching objective to an approximate real impedance transformation (IT). With miniaturization as the implementation guide, explicit formulas and tabulated methods based on mathematical analysis were applied to synthesize the filtering matching networks (MNs) for the input and output stages. In addition, a CAD-dependent numerical optimization approach was used for the interstage MN that needs to cope with high IT ratio and complex loads. The continuous-wave (CW) characterization for the proposed two-stage PA demonstrated 19.8 ± 0.7 dB of small-signal gain, very flat output power (Pout) and power-added efficiency (PAE) at 4 dB gain compression of 32–32.4 dBm and 34–34.6%, respectively, over 24–30 GHz, with 37.1% of peak PAE at mid-frequency.

A 2–20-GHz 10-W High-Efficiency GaN Power Amplifier Using Reactive Matching Technique

In this article, we present the analysis, design, and implementation of a wideband 10-W monolithic microwave integrated circuit power amplifier (PA), fabricated in a low-cost 0.1-μm gallium nitride (GaN) on Si technology. The design is focused on the realization of a low-loss and wideband impedance transformation networks across 2-20 GHz using a reactive matching (RM) technique. The two-stage GaN PA achieves an average output power of 40.1 dBm and a peak output power of 41.6 dBm at 13 GHz, in the CW-mode operation, with a smallsignal gain of S <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">21</sub> > 25.5 dB over the entire bandwidth. The average power-added efficiency (PAE) is 21%, with a peak PAE of 29% at 6 GHz. The PA chip occupies an area of 2.9×2.6 mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> . To the best of our knowledge, the PA presented in this work demonstrates the highest broadband gain among the reported GaN-based RMPAs with a corresponding output power of about 10 W.

W-Band MMIC PA With Ultrahigh Power Density in 100-nm AlGaN/GaN Technology

A three-stage W-band GaN monolithic microwave integrated circuit power amplifier (MMIC PA) is reported. Electron-beam lithography has been employed to define a 100-nm T-shaped gate on the AlGaN/GaN HEMT structure with ultrahigh aluminum content. The MMIC PA offers a peak small signal gain of 16.7 dB in the 90–97 GHz bandwidth. Moreover, it achieves a peak 1.66-W (32.2 dBm) output power at 93 GHz in a continuous-wave mode, with an associated power added efficiency of 21% and an associated power gain of 13.7 dB. Most notably, the peak power density is 3.46 W/mm with a 480- $\mu \text{m}$ wide output stage, which exceeds 3 W/mm in AlGaN/GaN HEMT at W-band for the first time.

Octave Band Linear MMIC Amplifier With +40-dBm OIP3 for High-Reliability Space Applications

A systematic design procedure for highly linear and reliable amplifiers is proposed. The procedure deals with nonlinear modeling, junction temperature prediction methods, and circuit design techniques. A wideband linear monolithic microwave integrated circuit power amplifier based on a space-qualified GaAs process for $C$ -band and extended $C$ -band multicarrier satellite transponder is reported and described. The amplifier uses a bus-bar combiner in the power stage reaching an output power of 26.7 dBm at 1-dB compression point, with a small signal gain above 25 dB in the operation band between 3 and 6 GHz. The output third-order intercept point reaches levels above 40 dBm. The design ensures high reliability keeping the junction temperature below 112 °C.

Highly reliable 10‐W X/Ku‐band pHEMT monolithic microwave integrated circuit power amplifier

In this study, a reliable 10 W high-power amplifier (HPA) is presented along with its design procedure. Implemented on a 0.25-μm InGaAs/AlGaAs/GaAs pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor (pHEMT) process, the designed HPA achieves power added efficiency (PAE) of more than 33% across the 7.8–12.8 GHz band. The proposed two-stage PA provides 15 dB large signal gain with an average small-signal gain of 18 dB. Peak results are achieved at 12.2 GHz with 40.8 dBm output power and 44% PAE. The reliability of the designed HPA is studied in detail along with a thorough discussion of related concerns.

W-band GaN MMIC PA with 257 mW output power at 86.5 GHz**Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 61306113).

A three-stage W-band GaN monolithic microwave integrated circuit power amplifier (MMIC PA) is reported. In order to manage coupling effects between all the parts of the W-band MMIC, all matching and bias networks have been first optimized using circuit simulating software and then systematically simulated on 3D full-wave electromagnetic simulator. The fabricated MMIC PA achieves a 257 mW output power at 86.5 GHz in continuous-wave mode, with an associated power added efficiency of 5.4% and an associated power gain of 6.1 dB. The power density is 459 mW/mm. Moreover, the MMIC PA offers over 100 mW in the 83–90 GHz bandwidth. Those performances were measured at drain bias of 12 V.

High Output Power and High Fundamental Leakage Suppression Frequency Doubler MMIC for E-Band Transceiver

An active frequency doubler monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) for E-band transceiver applications is presented in this letter. This MMIC has been fabricated in a commercial 0.1- ㎛ GaAs pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor (pHEMT) process on a 2-mail thick substrate wafer. The fabricated MMIC chip had been measured to have a high output power performance of over 13 dBm with a high fundamental leakage suppression of more than 38 dBc in the frequency range of 71 to 86 GHz under an input signal condition of 10 dBm. A microstrip coupled line is used at the output circuit of the doubler section to implement impedance matching and simultaneously enhance the fundamental leakage suppression. The fabricated chip is has a size of 2.5 mm X 1.2mm.

Ultrabroadband power amplifier using 16-way spatial combining finline array

An ultrabroadband power amplifier using 16-way spatial power divider/combiner that using a quasi-TEM-guided wave structure is designed. An oversized coaxial waveguide was used as the host of the dividing/combining circuits that incorporates an antipodal finline array. Galerkin's technique in the spectral domain was used to analyze the antipodal finline. The oversized TEM-guided wave structure and antipodal transitions were designed using the theory of small reflection and near optimum design. A high power amplifier using 16 monolithic-microwave integrated-circuit power amplifiers is built. The measured results show 160% bandwidth impedance match covering the entire 2–18 GHz with maximum output power of 39 dBm CW (Continous Wave) and corresponding gain greater than 11 dB. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 55:454–460, 2012; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.27321

Stability investigation for InP DHBT mm-wave power amplifier

In this article, we discuss stability issues for mm-wave monolithic integrated power amplifiers using InP double heterojunction bipolar transistor (DHBT) technology targeting E-band applications at 71–76 GHz and 81–86 GHz. Different stability detection methods based on the classical two-port K-Δs pair, linear three-port graphical analysis, system identifications, circuit modal analysis, and normalized determinant function are all reviewed. The corresponding techniques are employed to predict the occurrence of instability at 15 GHz observed during measurements on a fabricated monolithic microwave integrated circuit power amplifier. Experimental results from a redesigned power amplifier with improved stability are presented to confirm that the previously detected oscillation loop is removed using odd-mode stabilization resistors with the correct choice of values and locations. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE 23: 662–674, 2013.

High-efficiency three-way Ka-band waveguide unequal power combiner

This article presents the design, simulation and characterisation of a novel high-efficiency Ka-band (32.05 ± 0.25 GHz) rectangular waveguide three-way serial combiner for monolithic microwave integrated circuit power amplifiers (PAs) with unequal output power. The combiner presented here is suited for low data rate communications from deep space using a single carrier with constant envelope (amplitude) type modulation. The three-way combiner consists internally of two branch-line hybrids connected in series by a short length of waveguide. The two branch-line hybrids were each designed to combine two input signals that are equal in phase and with an amplitude ratio of two, although in general the amplitude ratio could be arbitrary. The combiner was fabricated in an E -plane split-block arrangement and precision machined from blocks of aluminium with standard WR-28 waveguide ports. S -parameter measurements demonstrated a close achievement of the design goals. The measured return loss at the output port was greater than 16 dB and the isolation between the three input ports of the three-way combiner were greater than 22 dB. The combining of three PAs was successfully demonstrated in which the measured combining efficiency was greater than 90% at the centre frequency of 32.05 GHz.

A Consistent Charge Model of GaAs MESFETs for $Ku$-Band Power Amplifiers

In this paper, a consistent gate charge model for GaAs MESFETs based upon charge conservation is proposed for monolithic microwave integrated circuit power amplifier designs. This new model is capable of accurately modeling the transistor under various biasing conditions. The conventional approaches for charge modeling of GaAs MESFETs usually adopt analytical equations to fit nonlinear gate capacitors separately, which might be difficult to implement in circuit simulators whose capacitance is always the derivative of an internal state variable (charge). Moreover, compared with the conventional diode and Statz model, the performance prediction in the linear region, saturation knee region, and subthreshold region is greatly improved. Measured and modeled results of a 2 ×150 μm GaAs MESFET are compared and good agreement has been obtained. Comparisons between the proposed model, diode junction model, and Statz model are also presented in this paper. In addition, a class-AB Ku-band power amplifier using a 0.18-μm GaAs MESFET process was designed with the new model for verification of the new model accuracy.

A 2.5-V Low-Reference-Voltage 2.8-V Low- Collector–Voltage Operation 0.8–0.9-GHz Broadband CDMA BiFET Power Amplifier With an Input SPDT Band Select Switch

This paper describes circuit design and measurement results of a bipolar field-effect transistor monolithic microwave integrated circuit power amplifier (PA) module operating with a 2.5-V low reference voltage ( <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">V</i> <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">ref</sub> ) and a 2.8-V low collector supply voltage ( <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">V</i> <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">cc</sub> ). While covering 824-925-MHz broadband CDMA operation at 2.8 V of <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">V</i> <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">cc</sub> , the PA allows a 1.1-V low <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">V</i> <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">cc</sub> and 18-dBm output power ( <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">P</i> <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">out</sub> ) operation. This is realized using an on-chip step quiescent current control scheme depending on <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">V</i> <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">cc</sub> . In addition, an input high electron-mobility transistor single-pole double-throw switch is integrated on the PA die for selecting 800/900-MHz operating bands, thereby providing easy connectivity between a transmit surface acoustic wave filter and the PA. Measurement results under the 2.8/1.1-V <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">V</i> <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">cc</sub> and 2.5-V <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">V</i> <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">ref</sub> bias conditions show that the PA meets J-CDMA/W-CDMA power and distortion specifications sufficiently over a wide temperature range from -20 °C to 85 °C while realizing a broadband operation ranging from 824 to 925 MHz. For J-CDMA (IS-95B) modulation, the PA can deliver a 28-dBm <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">P</i> <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">out</sub> , a 36% power-added efficiency (PAE), and a - 50-dBc adjacent channel power ratio, while a 29-dBm <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">P</i> <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">out</sub> , a 38% PAE, and a -40-dBc adjacent channel leakage power ratio (ACLR) are achieved for W-CDMA (3GPP R99) modulation. Under 3:1 load mismatching condition, the PA also suppresses ACLR of less than - 36 dBc while keeping a forward power of 27.5 dBm. Moreover the PA is capable of delivering a 18-dBm <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">P</i> <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">out</sub> and more than 26% PAE under 824-925-MHz and 1.1-V J-CDMA modulation test conditions. To the best of authors' knowledge, this is the first report on a broadband production-level CDMA PA operating with low <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">V</i> <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">ref</sub> and low <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">V</i> <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">cc</sub> .

A 60 GHz Broadband Stacked FET Power Amplifier Using 130 nm Metamorphic HEMTs

A V-band monolithic microwave integrated circuit power amplifier (PA) using metamorphic high electron mobility transistors (mHEMTs) is developed using a stacked-FET structure. Design methodology to optimize the series power combining power amplifiers at millimeter-waves is also presented. The fabricated PA using triple-stacked 130 nm mHEMTs shows a gain of 16 dB and a saturated output power of 20 dBm with a power added efficiency of 19% at 59 GHz. The 3 dB output power bandwidth is as wide as 15 GHz.

Ka-대역 10 W 전력증폭기 모듈의 설계 및 제작

본 논문에서는 다수의 MMIC 전력증폭기 칩과 박막 기판을 결합하여 MIC 모듈을 구성함으로써 Ka-대역 중심주파수에서 10 W의 출력 전력을 낼 수 있는 전력증폭기 모듈을 설계 및 제작하였다. 전력증폭기 모듈의 제작에는 밀리미터파 대역에 적합한 수정된 형태의 윌킨슨 전력분배기/합성기를 사용하였고, 모듈의 구성 과정에서 발생할 수 있는 손실을 줄이고 공진을 억제하기 위해 CBFGCPW-Microstrip 천이 구조를 활용하였다 전력증폭기 모듈은 총 7개의 MMIC 칩으로 구성되었으며 MMIC 칩을 펄스 모드로 동작시키기 위해 칩의 게이트에 펄스 전압을 인가하는 게이트 전압 제어기가 설계되고 적용되었다. 제작된 전력증폭기 모듈의 측정 결과 58 dB의 전력 이득과 39.6 dBm의 포화 출력 전력을 얻을 수 있었다. In this paper, a Ka-band 10 W power amplifier module is designed and fabricated using MIC(Microwave Integrated Circuit) module technology which combines multiple power MMIC(Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit) chips on a thin film substrate. Modified Wilkinson power dividers/combiners are used for millimeter wave modules and CBFGC-PW-Microstrip transitions are utilized for reducing connection loss and suppressing resonance in the high-gain and high-power modules. The power amplifier module consists of seven MMIC chips and operates in a pulsed mode. for the pulsed mode operation, a gate pulse control circuit supplying the control voltage pulses to MMIC chips is designed and applied. The fabricated power amplifier module shows a power gain of about 58 dB and a saturated output power of 39.6 dBm at a center frequency of the interested frequency band.

Investigation of broadband power amplifier with high power‐combining efficiency

AbstractA four‐device broadband solid‐state power amplifier, which is based on radial waveguide power‐dividing/combining circuit, has been investigated in this work. The fabricated power amplifier combining four monolithic microwave integrated circuit power amplifiers shows a 12–16.6 dB small‐signal gain over a broadband from 6 to 14 GHz. The measured maximum output power at 1 dB compression is 25.6 dBm at 10 GHz, with a high power‐combining efficiency of 96%. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 2178–2181, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23614

2–8 GHz 8-W Power Amplifier MMIC Developed Using MSAG MESFET Technology

Design approach and test data for a two-octave bandwidth HPA developed using GaAs based multifunction self aligned gate metal semiconductor field effect transistor with multilevel plating monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) technology are presented. A low loss matching design technique was used in the development of a two-stage power amplifier. The broadband amplifier has exhibited 8 W power output and better than 16% PAE over the 2.0-8.0 GHz frequency range. To our knowledge, these results represent the state-of-the-art in output power for multi-octave S/C-band power MMIC amplifiers.

Narrowband amplifier with excellent power combining efficiency

Based on a coaxial waveguide power-dividing/combining circuit, a four-device solid-state power amplifier with excellent power combining efficiency is presented. The fabricated power amplifier combining four monolithic microwave integrated circuit power amplifiers shows a 13–16.65 dB small-signal gain over a wide bandwidth of 7–13.5 GHz. The measured maximum output power at 1 dB compression is 25.4 dBm at 11 GHz, with a power-combining efficiency of 91%.

Two-stage quasi-class-E power amplifier in GaN HEMT technology

This letter presents a two-stage quasi-class-E monolithic microwave integrated circuit power amplifier at 2.0GHz, which is based on field-plated GaN high electron mobility transistor technology. It consists of a driver stage and a power stage. The circuit schematic is described. The amplifier achieves an output power of 37.5dBm into a 50-Omega load, a power added efficiency (PAE) of 50%, and a gain of 18.2dB. A power density of 5.6W/mm is achieved

Load modulation power amplifier with lumped-element combiner for IEEE 802.11b∕g WLAN applications

A new monolithic microwave integrated circuit power amplifier for 802.11b/g wireless local area network (WLAN) has been implemented using the load modulation concept of a Doherty amplifier. The λ/4 transmission line for the load modulation circuit of the carrier amplifier is replaced by a lumped element based π-network, which dual functions as an output matching network, simultaneously. This amplifier shows that error vector magnitude is about 4.6% and power added efficiency (PAE) about 31.8% at Pout of 19 dBm for a 802.11g 64QAM signal. PAE of the power amplifier is about 49.6%, and adjacent channel leakage ratio below 37.2dBc at 11 MHz offset at Pout of 23 dBm for the 802.11b complementary code keying signal.